


Death's Best Friend

by AxelsLullaby



Category: Persona 3
Genre: Alternate Universe, Apathetic Minato, Minato has been awake since the Moonlight Bridge Incident, Pairings will be chosen by the readers (through a poll), Persona 3 Spoilers, So pairings undecided, Spoilers for EVERYTHING in it, Thanatos can actually talk, and thats only when you fuse them, for now that is, i mean i feel bad for personas, muahahaha, spoilers in the summary, theres craptons of them but theyre only allowed to speak ONCE
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-20
Updated: 2018-08-11
Packaged: 2019-05-26 03:16:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 30,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14991578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AxelsLullaby/pseuds/AxelsLullaby
Summary: Ten years ago, Minato Arisato made a friend named Pharos.Ten years ago, Minato Arisato made another friend named Thanatos.In the year 2009, Minato arrives in Iwatodai. With ten years of experience hunting shadows, a Persona of a best friend driven by the Moon and a weird kid at his side, he gets to experience things differently.





	1. A Day as Any Others

**Author's Note:**

> Yo! Second story, will be working on it and By Which All Is Revealed at the same time. BWAIR is much, much harder to write so this one comes easily.
> 
> PAIRINGS IN THIS STORY WILL BE PICKED BY READERS. Whoever gets most votes becomes Minato's bae.  
> EDIT: Votes have been restricted to Akihiko and Ryoji so that it doesnt take ages to get picked and I can get started on writing two goofs!

**First** **Chapter** **: A** **Da** **y as** **A** **ny** **O** **thers**  

_It was supposed to be a night like any other – they were driving home just a bit later than they had meant to. He was almost asleep in the back, his parents on the front. Sometimes, his mother would glance back to make sure he was alright, and she would smile fondly upon seeing his peaceful face._  

 _It was supposed to be a night like any other._  

 _Sadly, it wasn't._  

 _They were crossing a bridge – The Moonlight Bridge, it was called. Everything was fine._  

 _And then the next moment, it wasn't._  

 _Suddenly, all the quietness and peace_ _were_ _gone and the car was on fire and his mother was covered in blood and he couldn't even see his father-_  

 _"Live."_  

 _She ordered._  

 _The next moment, his consciousness was gone, and Minato wasn't anymore – Things had changed._  

* * *

_"Good evening."_  

 _The first time he heard that voice, he remembered that everything was white, too white, horribly white. He didn't like that colour._  

 _And then when he heard the voice everything was green, green, green. He could see the moon through the window. It was huge and bright and yellow. He liked it better like that._  

 _"Who are you?" His voice creaked. It was painful to speak._  

 _"Shouldn't you ask yourself that question?" The other boy answered._  

 _"What do you mean?"_  

 _"My name is Pharos. Nice to meet you."_  

 _"Go away."_  

* * *

_A few days later, his uncle and aunt took him in. They told him his mom and dad wouldn't be back before a long time._  

 _He knew otherwise._  

 _He went to school that day, but when the teacher tried to ask him something, he just gave her a blank stare._  

* * *

_Little time_ _later, his uncle tripped down the stairs and died in the fall._  

* * *

_His aunt followed suit, unable to bear the idea of being alone._  

* * *

_He was then adopted by his other aunt. She lived by herself._  

* * *

_She was bitten by a rabid dog and died, eight days after taking him in._  

 _He didn't even get enough time to register for school._  

* * *

_"Good evening." Pharos greeted._  

 _He shot him a blank stare._  

 _Silence lasted for a long time._  

 _"Will you leave too?"_  

 _"Of course not. I will always be with you." Pharos smiled that night._  

* * *

_The Matron of the orphanage he was placed in died from a stray shot in a Yakuza conflict._  

 _The area was supposed to be peaceful._  

* * *

_One of the kids fell through a window._  

 _They found his corpse on front of the Orphanage's doors, bones twisted and broken._  

* * *

_He ran away._  

* * *

_He was outside by himself during the time-when-the-world-is-green. An unrecognizable blob was roaming the streets._  

 _He was too curious._  

* * *

_When the shadow attacked him, he didn't even scream. He just gave it a blank stare, too._  

* * *

_When the monster appeared and killed the shadows, it felt like a good friend._  

* * *

**"Attention, passengers. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused by the delay. The next stop is** **Iwatodai** **."**  

As deafeningly loud as he had put the music, he still heard that his stop was coming up. Taking his eyes off the windows, he stood up. 

 **"** **Iwatodai** **,** **Iwatodai** **. This is the final train bound for Tatsumi Port Island. Please make sure you board in time for departure."**  

He ignored that, his gaze now bound by the clock. Seconds to midnight. 

His music stopped. He kept walking without a care. 

Even when his shoes ended up stained with blood. 

The yellow moon was growing full. Most people would have said it was intimidating. 

He found it almost maternal. He blamed Pharos for that. 

He walked on for nearly an hour, finally finding his destination. 

He was surprised to see the lights on. 

Pushing the doors open, he stepped inside. 

"You're late." 

He knew that voice too well. 

"Pharos." He responded quietly. 

"I've been waiting a long time." 

He stared at his friend for a few seconds, before the smaller one began speaking again. 

"Now if you want to proceed, please sign your name there." He waved. "It's a contract. Don't worry. All it says is that you'll accept full responsibility for your actions. You know, the usual stuff." 

His apathetic gaze swept between the boy and the paper. Finally, he walked to it and signed. 

 _'Minato_ _Arisato_ _'_  

The writing was far from neat, but still surprisingly easy to read. 

"No one can escape time. It delivers us all to the same end. You can't plug your ears and cover your eyes... But you already know all that." The boy said with a smile. "And so, it begins." 

And yet, the peaceful quietness of it all was broken by a sudden cry. 

"Who's there?!" 

A girl about his age, with chestnut-coloured hair and eyes stepped inside the room, her hand hovering over a gun strapped to her thigh. 

She was breathing sharply, her hand going for the weapon. 

"Takeba, wait!" A new voice called. 

Two people other than himself and Pharos active during this Hour. Nothing good. 

The other girl – older, probably – had glaring red hair and light brown-coloured eyes. She exuded a strong aura. 

"I didn't think you'd arrive so late. My name is Mitsuru Kirijo. I'm one of the students who live in this dorm." She began. 

"Who's he?" The first girl asked. 

"He's a transfer student. It was a last-minute decision to assign him here. He'll eventually be moved to a room in the boys' dorm." 

Two people active during the green hour. Probably at least one Persona user from the feel he was getting. 

Not likely. 

"… Is it okay for him to be here?" 

"I guess we'll see. This-" The red-haired girl pointed to the other one. Is Yukari Takeba. She'll be a junior this spring. Just like you." 

"… Hey." She greeted. 

"… Minato Arisato." He answered, uncaring. 

"A-Alright..." Yukari was still shaken from her fear. "N-nice to meet you." 

"It's getting late, so you should get some rest. Your room is on the second floor at the end of the hallway. Your things should already be there." 

"Oh, I'll show you the way. Follow me!" 

As Yukari guided him upstairs, Minato took the time to look around. Everything seemed normal for a high school dorm, other than the two people active during the dark hour – And from the feeling he was getting, three people.  

He followed her to the end of the hall, where she stopped on front of a door. 

"This is it. Pretty easy to remember, huh? Since it's right at the end of the hall... Oh, and make sure you don't lose your key, or you'll never hear the end of it." 

He nodded, not really caring. He wasn't the kind of person that lost their belongings. 

"So, any questions?" 

He slightly shook his head. 

"Good. Uhm... Can I ask you something? On your way here from the station, was everything okay?" 

Ah. She was probably wondering if he walked through the green hour. 

"Yeah." He simply answered, not willing to sell himself out just yet. 

"I see... Never mind, then. Well, I'd better get going. Um... I'm sure you still have other questions, but save them for later, okay? Good night." She called, before walking – almost running at a nervous speed, actually – away. 

Finally, he walked into his new room. It was clean, and his few belongings had been left in the middle of the room for him to unpack. There wasn't much – His clothes were in a few neat boxes, but that wasn't really what he cared about. Carefully, he checked the box in the middle, eyes lit up with a strange light. It hadn't been opened – good. 

Deep within him, Thanatos stirred with the equivalent of a grin, which in turn echoed on Minato's face. He pried the box open, happy to see that his favourite collection was untouched. 

Swords – many of them. Thanatos had been with him for ten years, so his fondness for them had bled over quite a lot, just like part of Minato's nature had crossed through and reached Thanatos. 

He had to keep himself from grinning like a madman, seeing all of them intact. He didn't know if the dorm had cameras, so he didn't take the lid off, but simply checked in. Closing back the box, he put it somewhere less in open sight and took care of tidying the rest of his belongings. He went to sleep half an hour later, slipping almost immediately into a dreamless haze. 

* * *

_7_ _th_ _of April, 2009_  

He was awoken by someone knocking on his door. Taking a few moments to remember where he was, he finally realized that someone was calling him through the door. 

"It's Yukari. Are you awake?" 

He stood up, walked towards the door and opened it, still in his pajamas. He shot her a blank look. 

"Oh, uh... Mitsuru-senpai asked me to take you to school. It's getting late, so you should get prepared." 

He slammed the door shut right as she finished her sentence and put on his uniform, not bothering to be polite with her. 

"Hey!" 

Ties such as dormmates were only temporary, after all. 

A few minutes later he finally got out again, and she stopped screeching behind his door. 

"That was really-" 

He just shot her the exact same blank look again, and she quieted down. 

Most people found that look creepy. He thought of it as his usual one. 

She sighed. "Are you ready to go?" He didn't respond, so she simply assumed it meant yes. 

They boarded the monorail towards the other island, and after a short walk, they arrived at their destination. 

"Well, this is it. Welcome to Gekkoukan High School! Hope you like it!" 

One of his eyebrows rose at that. Liking it? It was a school. Which to him meant either sleeping or walking out of it as far as his legs allowed him to without being noticed. 

Which often didn't work, due to his unusual hair colour and his appearance that a lot of people had taken the bad habit of describing as _handsome_. 

He supposed that ten years of fighting would have that kind of consequences. 

He took off towards the Faculty office by himself, ignoring Yukari when she called for him. She didn't follow him, though, so he didn't care. 

He walked in the office, and was immediately noticed by a female teacher, who was apparently busy tidying up. 

"Oh, are you the new student? Minato Arisato... 11th grade, correct? Wow, you've lived in a lot of different places... Let's see... 1999... That was what, ten years ago? Your parents..." She inhaled sharply. "I'm sorry... I've been so busy, I didn't have time to properly read your files beforehand. I'm Ms. Toriumi. I teach Composition. Welcome to our school." 

After that, she told him which class he was in and guided him to the auditorium, where the Welcoming Ceremony was beginning. 

He almost slept through it, making sure to keep one eye half opened so he wouldn't actually doze off – Thanatos would have woken him up, but he'd rather not have bothered the god that spent most of his time sleeping in his head for _nothing_. 

There was a guy poking him and asking him questions about Yukari behind him, but he ignored him. 

The classes after the speech passed quickly – He slept through most of them, uncaring about the glares sent his way from certain unhappy students. As he stood up and prepared to leave, though, he was interrupted by a rather unpleasant – in his absolutely fair opinion – person. 

"'Sup dude? How's it goin'?"  

In response, Minato gave the usual blank stare that had become a habit, but since the boy didn't leave he asked. "What do you want?" 

"Woah, way to greet someone who's tryin' to be nice. I'm Junpei Iori. Nice to meet ya. I transferred here when I was in 8th grade, I know how tough it is bein' the new kid... So I wanted to say 'hey'. See what a nice guy I am!" He walked a step closer, slightly invading Minato's personal space, which was enough to make him take a step back and glare at the capped boy. 

Yukari took that precise moment to walk back in, interrupting the annoyance named Junpei Iori. 

"Oh, hey! It's Yuka-tan!"  

Minato picked that precise moment when the attention was off him to make his escape.

* * *

He had returned to the dorm quickly and walked straight into his room. 

 _'Thanatos, are you there?'_  

 **_'_ ** **_Of course_ ** **_I am. I always am. You want to spot the camera, right? Because there's one. Right in the corner over there.'_ **  

Accurate as ever, for ten years together had made the two of them so close – Well, Thanatos was in _his head_ \- that he didn't even need to say what he needed. Minato tilted his head and looked in the corner, sight temporarily enhanced by the Death god in his mind, and quickly climbed on the furniture to reach the camera. It was well hidden, for sure, but he didn't know if there was anything actually able to escape Thanatos' eyes. 

He pricked it from inside of the wall, found the wires and pulled hard enough to unplug them.  

"Good riddance..." He muttered to himself. 

He wasn't a fan of the idea of being watched like that. Especially not with a weapon collection in his room. 

Now that he was sure that no one could see what he was doing, he went onto polishing his weapons.  

Rust would make for bad weapons. 

* * *

A few hours later, he was called downstairs by Yukari. He found it would only be annoying, but put his weapons back in their box in case she decided to barge in. 

He should've locked the door, really. 

A few seconds after he pushed the box back in its corner, she knocked on the door. 

"Could you come downstairs please? There's someone you need to meet." 

A few minutes later, he found himself reluctantly walking down the stairs. He wouldn't want to bring himself trouble, although he knew he wouldn't stay here very long. 

 _At least till someone dies._ He thought, though it lacked the care it should have. 

"Oh, there he is." 

"So, this is our new guest." A man in a beige coat spoke. He had long, brown hair and thin glasses. 

 ** _'I don't like this guy.'_** Thanatos spoke gruffly in the back of his mind. 

That put Minato on his guard, although not visibly. If Thanatos' instincts reacted to someone, then that person was dangerous. 

"Good evening. My name is Shuji Ikutsuki. I'm the chairman of the Board for your school. 'Ikutsuki'… Hard to say, isn't it? That's why I don't like introducing myself. Even I get tongue-tied sometimes... Please, have a seat." As the man went back to the couch, followed by Yukari, Minato looked wary, but obliged nonetheless.  

"I apologize about the confusion regarding your accommodations. However, it may take a while longer before you receive the proper room assignment. Is there anything you'd like to ask?" 

For an instant, Minato considered asking why there was a camera in his room but refrained. It would do no good to explain that he pricked it and may or may not have crushed the wires.  

"No, I'm good." 

"Then I hope you have a successful school year. Now if you'll excuse me..." 

He watched as the chairman stood up and walked towards the stairs, but as he passed by the couch, he added a few words. 

"You must be tired from all the excitement. You should go to bed early. As the saying goes... The early bird catches the bookworm! … Please forgive the pun." 

Immediately after the man left, Minato retreated to his room. 

* * *

Ikutsuki walked in the command room as Mitsuru was settling down on front of the screens. Seconds later, Yukari arrived, not looking too happy as to what she was about to do. 

"Working hard?" Ikutsuki asked. "So how is he doing?" 

"Let's see that..." Mitsuru said as she pressed a key. And yet... 

Instead of the view of Minato's room she had expected, she was greeted by the sight of static. 

"What?! How did he- Are our cameras not working properly?"  

For good measure, she checked another camera – The one to Akihiko's room – and found it working perfectly. 

* * *

Minato was grinning as he admired one of the swords he had just finished polishing – obtained from the corpse of a shadow that was quite powerful, and something he was really proud of having in his collection, both to his own delight and Thanatos'. It shone in the artificial light, proving just how careful he was in his maintenance.  

Seconds later he found himself glad to have locked his door, because Takeba came knocking, even though it was about 11pm.  

"Minato, are you in there?" 

Stupid question, Takeba, the door is locked. Although perhaps he should lock it by day, too, to make sure they wouldn't come put another camera in the wall.  

He settled on ignoring her and feigning sleep. She kept knocking and calling for him for a few minutes, then finally gave up. He let out a heavy sigh, then settled on actually going to sleep. 

That night, he dreamed of velvet blue. 

* * *

_9_ _th_ _of April, 2009_  

The next day, school passed quickly. He went by himself, before Yukari could come get him – To Thanatos' whines. Neither of them were early risers. He went straight home after school was over, once again locking himself in his room. 

He did his homework quickly, although he made sure not to botch it – He was always careful to keep his grades up, as to not bring attention onto himself. 

He thought he'd nap after his homework was done, and yet for some reason he felt restless. 

Actually, he knew why HE felt restless. What he didn't know was why Thanatos was so agitated.  

 _'What's wrong?'_  

 **_'Something's coming today. Something big.'_ **  

He couldn't see it, but he knew Thanatos' expression was feral – It was that of a hunter waiting for its prey. 

 _'I guess we just have to wait for it, then. Wake me up an hour before so I can get ready to sneak out, okay?'_  

 **_'You got it!'_ **  

Minato dreamed of Velvet blue again. 

* * *

_9_ _th_ _of April, 2009 – Fifty-nine minutes_ _before the Dark Hour_  

 **_'Hey, Minato. Wake up.'_ **  

Minato stirred quickly upon his friend's call, his eyes blinking open. There was no light, yet he still saw perfectly around him – He supposed that was perks of having Death within himself. 

 **_'It'll be there soon. Tonight, we hunt!'_ **  

A wide grin spread upon the blue-haired boy's lips. It was always entertaining, when a strong shadow showed up. The smaller ones were usually just fodder, slain in a matter of seconds either by his own blade or Thanatos'. In any case, tonight would not be so, since the target was strong, strong enough that Thanatos felt it without the need of the green Hour's cover.  

Provided the other people aware of the Dark Hour did not interrupt him. Or stop him from going at all. 

 **_'Not that we would let them stop us.'_ **  

 _'You're right..._ _Though I'm still concerned. A dorm with multiple people moving during the Hour, and that guy you said felt wrong...'_  

 **_'Doesn't matter. If they stand in our path, we'll remove them from it.'_ **  

 _'You're right... Nothing can stand before us, after all.'_  

It was both a reassuring thought and an entertaining one. In the day he may have wanted to be nothing special, but come the so-nicknamed Green Hour, the two of them were an unstoppable force.  

And, quite literally, a force of nature, considering Thanatos' nature and origin. 

And tonight, nothing would stop them. 

* * *

_9_ t _h of April, 2009 – Early during the Dark Hour_  

"… Is that you, Akihiko?" 

"… You're not gonna believe this! This thing is huge!..." His voice came in bursts of static, the communication barely holding up. "Unfortunately, I don't have time to talk... It's chasing me... I wanted to let you guys know I'm almost there." 

"Does that mean... He's bringing that thing here?!" 

"Mr. Chairman! Let's suspend our observation for now. We'll prepare for battle!" 

"… Right! Be careful!" 

The dorm was in an uproar as Mitsuru, Yukari and Ikutsuki were preparing for the Shadows' arrival. A minute later, Akihiko burst in the lounge before collapsing on the floor. 

"Akihiko!" Mitsuru called as she ran to him. 

"Senpai?!" 

"I'm alright." He answered. "Get ready to be surprised. It'll be here any second." 

"This is no time to joke around!" 

"Is it one of them, Akihiko?" Ikutsuki wondered. 

"Yes, but not an ordinary one--" He began, and suddenly the dorm shook. 

"What the-?! You've gotta be kidding me!" 

"Mr. Chairman, please head for the command room!" Mitsuru commanded. "Takeba, go upstairs and wake Arisato up! Then, escape out the back." 

"But, what about you two?!" 

"We'll stop it here. You led it to us, Akihiko, so I'm afraid you'll have to fight." 

"Like I had a choice! What are you waiting for, Yukari?! Go!" 

"I-I'm going!" She stuttered and ran off.  

She rushed up the stairs, her steps echoing through the eerily quiet floors. And yet when she arrived at her destination... 

The door to his room was wide open, and yet no one was inside.  

Immediately, she was on alert, and rushed back down the stairs to find Mitsuru and Akihiko fighting a bunch of shadows. The chairman was already gone to the command room, she supposed. 

"Takeba, what are you still doing here?!"  

"He wasn't in his room!" She shouted, unable to figure out what to do while her senpais were risking their lives. 

"Then find him!" 

"Hold on, Mitsuru. The big one I found isn't here!" 

"What?!" 

Unbeknownst to them, the big shadow was climbing the side of the building, its main prey waiting carefully on the roof. 

* * *

A few minutes later, all smaller shadows were cleared out. 

"Takeba, with me, let's look for Minato. Akihiko, you go to the command room and REST!" 

The second and third floor were searched fully out, Mitsuru and Takeba checked in the Command Room, although they were sure the blue-haired boy wouldn't be there. With the massive shadow Akihiko had mentioned still on the loose, Takeba finally got the idea to check the cameras. 

It turned out to be a smart decision, but as they changed to the rooftop's camera, the atmosphere of the room suddenly changed. 

The first sight that greeted them was shadow blood – _and quite a lot of it –_ being spilled on front of the camera. Eventually, it cleared up, letting them in on quite the gruesome sight.  

* * *

Minato was having the time of his life. 

Tracking the shadow had led him to waiting for it on the roof. The moment it showed up, all instincts were let loose – Weapon in hand, he taunted the shadow and let it come to him before jumping off his spot and behind the shadow, slicing two of its arms clean off.  

He couldn't stop grinning like a madman, euphoria and adrenaline coursing through his veins. He could _feel_ Thanatos' glee, and he himself felt better than ever. This opponent was _great_. 

As the shadow – _magician arcana_ , he thought – attempted to grab him, he decided to let his other self have his part of fun. 

"Come, _Thanatos_!" He intoned, the chains within himself loosening to let the Hunter come forth. 

It -  _he_ \- formed slowly, coffins first – Followed by chains, and then slowly the main body appeared, blade in hand. He roared, and dashed straight for the shadow.  

Because he knew that no matter how much they both enjoyed this hunt, not only were they limited by the duration of the Dark Hour, but also by Minato's ability to summon.  

Thanatos was a heavy Persona to sustain, after all. 

With an equivalent of laughter, Thanatos sliced through _half_ of the Shadow's arms, crushing one of the yet-wobbling ones in his palm. Then Minato set in movement again, and as he assaulted the mask of the being, Thanatos focused the remaining arms down. 

Together, they mauled the Shadow down, a shudder-inducing laughter leaving Minato's lips. He then closed his eyes as the Magician faded, Thanato returning to him.  

 **_'Now_ ** **that** **_was fun!'_ **  

 _'Yeah it was... I just hope there wasn't any camera on the roof.'_  

* * *

In the meantime, the three members of SEES plus Ikutsuki were _shuddering_. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is so much easier to write than BWAIR. also minato is best boy and thanatos is awesomely fun to write wth  
> EDIT 06.21: Corrected some mess up that happened through html formatting, also mitsuru's speech (accidentally had her say minato instead of arisato woops)


	2. Explanations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SEES confronts Minato about the events on the rooftop.  
> Meanwhile, Pharos prepares a most machiavelli plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wanted to make a longer chapter but my brain says no  
> so far theres only one vote for pairings and its for mitsuru, which i'll be honest isn't my favorite one to write (still 200% better than yukari tho, she's a real hell to write in a relationship)

**Chapter** **2:** **Explanations**

 _It_ _felt_ _like_ _it_ _all_ _happened_ _so_ _long_ _ago_ _._

 _The first time Thanatos had answered his call – Or rather, risen by himself to protect his frail host. The child_ _had been just eight, and cruel and ruthless as Thanatos was, did_ not _want to see him die._

_So_ _he forced his way through the chains and ravaged the shadows that dared come close, while the kid just stared. He seemed surprised, but not shocked._

_Good kid. He had potential._

_Thanatos looked at him for a moment, before returning to the depths of his heart._

_Perhaps, then, this wouldn't be so bad._

* * *

"What on earth was that?!" Akihiko almost shouted, after having witnessed the events on the roof.

"Let's go ask him ourselves. Akihiko, Takeba, with me."

"Wait! Would you bring him here, please?" Ikutsuki asked. 

"Huh?"

"Are you sure, Mr. Chairman?"

The older man nodded in return and continued. "I think it would be better if we talk to him now."

* * *

Minato's grin faded as he walked down the stairs. He had intended to return straight to his room, but he was interrupted by Mitsuru.

"Arisato." She called.

He stayed silent for a few moments, simply glaring back at her, then gave up.

"I take it there was a camera on the roof." He simply stated.

"Follow me, please." She said, as she walked into a room with large doors.

With a sigh, he obliged, taking the time to look at the people in the room before he stopped walking. There were four people in there: Mitsuru, Yukari, Ikutsuki, and another boy that he assumed was in Mitsuru's class. 

"So what do you want?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"First things first, I'm glad that you're okay. That shadow looked like quite the fiend!" The Chairman commented. "The reason I asked you here is because we needed to talk to you. Please, have a seat."

Minato was reluctant – He would rather have had a quick escape if needed.

**_'Still don’t like this one. I'll keep watch.'_ **

Reassured by Thanatos' presence, he sat down.

"Oh, before anything. I believe I mentioned him earlier, but this is Akihiko."

The silver-haired boy muttered a greeting, clutching his chest.

He was obviously wounded, but seeing how he was seated, that had already been treated for now.

"Okay, let me start off by asking you this... Would you believe me if I said that a day consists of more than twenty-four hours?"

Minato gave the most deadpan look he could possibly muster.

He'd known it for _ten years._ To him, it was a fact that there were twenty-five hours a day.

"We call it the Dark Hour." Mitsuru began, picking up on his expression. "A time period hidden between one day and the next."

That was a way to put it. To him it wasn't hidden – It was actually more comfortable for him during that time.

At least he was alone during it.

Or at least it used to be so.

"Well, I guess it's more like something people aren't aware of." Ikutsuki added. "But the Dark Hour does exist. It occurs each night at midnight." 

"Why are you telling me all that? Get to the point already." Minato was growing impatient.

"Ah... Long story short, we're the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad – SEES for short. On paper, we're classified as a school club. But in reality, this group is dedicated to defeating the shadows. Mitsuru is the leader. I'm the club advisor." The Chairman explained. 

"What he's trying to say-" Mitsuru interrupted him. "is that we want you to join us. We've prepared an Evoker for you, although you didn't seem to need one. We'd like you to lend us your strength."

"… And why exactly would I do that?"

"Think of those people who get attacked!" Yukari cut in without being prompted to. "All those people who can't do anything out there!"

"That's not my concern." He stated bluntly.

"What do you mean, not your concern?!" Akihiko asked. "These people can die at any moment, we're the only ones who can do anything about it, and you say it's not your concern?!"

**_'Well, aren't they passionate about it._ ** **_Though_ ** **_I'm pretty sure that guy mostly fights because he likes punching stuff.'_ **

Minato quietly agreed with his friend. Not that he roamed the 'Dark Hour' for any other reason.

"Calm down, Akihiko. Arisato, we'll give you some time to think on our offer. In the meantime, I think it's better if we all went to rest. It's quite late, and a lot of things happened today."

Minato simply stood up and walked back to his room without waiting for any approval. That's when he realized still had his sword hanging at his side, even though it was sheathed.

No wonder that Yukari girl had looked nervous.

* * *

_10_ _ th _ _of April, 2009_

The next day, Minato got up and left for school before anyone could catch him, not wanting to be confronted about his lack of care. He slept through classes, ignoring Yukari's not-so-discrete stares or Junpei's questioning looks as he wondered if anything had happened. As soon as classes were done, he left, not leaving anyone a chance to call his name. 

* * *

_10_ _ th _ _of April, 2009 – Dark Hour_

"Hi! How are you?"

"Pharos. I'm alright, what about you?"

The small boy chuckled. "I've been just fine. I feel... Better."

"I'm glad to hear that, I guess."

"… Soon, the End will come. I remembered, so I thought I should tell you."

"The end, huh...?"

"The end of everything." Pharos continued. "… But to be honest, I don't really know what that is. Oh, but it looks like you met other people like you!"

"They're not like me, Pharos. You know that."

"I do, but they're not so different. You should at least be nice to them."

"… You know what happens whenever I try to befriend anyone other than you or Thanatos."

"I think you should give them a chance. Maybe having the same power as you will make them different? Although... They don't have the exact same power." 

Minato simply sighed and looked away. It was never worth making friends.

"Do you remember when we first met?" The boy asked, his eyes still as terrifyingly piercing as ever.

"I do."

"That's good. It means we're good friends, right? But maybe you should try having other friends. Give them a chance." The boy smiled, before fading, as were his habits.

Minato glared at the waning moon through his window.

What was Pharos trying to do...? He knew he trusted him, after all.

Perhaps he should heed unto the boy's advice. Or at least, try.

He spent the next few days thinking.

* * *

_18_ _ th _ _of April, 2009_

"Alright, I'll join."

Three words were enough to light up the faces of the three people in the lounge. 

Minato had spent a long time thinking, and Pharos had spent a long time attempting to convince him to give the Persona users a chance.

 _'As if he knew something I didn't'_ , Minato suspected.

**_'What could the kid even know? He doesn't remember anything and barely even knew his own name.'_ **

_'You never know, with Pharos...'_

"Alright. Thank you for deciding to join us, Arisato." 

He didn't respond, but it was enough.

"Phew... I thought he wouldn't join." Said Yukari once she thought he was out of hearing range.

"Me too, honestly. That guy's weird." 

"But it seems that he can hold his ground in a fight, and that Persona of his seemed powerful. You know we can always use more fighters."

"You're right, you're right, Mitsuru..."

He ignored their babbling and went straight to bed that day.

* * *

_19_ _ th _ _of April, 2009 – Evening_

Minato was busy doing homework – well, not really. He was chatting with Thanatos while scribbling on his notebook – when he heard his name being called downstairs. Wondering if it had anything to do with the Dark Hour, he went.

"… Okay, here he is. So, what's this all about, senpai?"

"There's someone I wanna introduce." Akihiko stared.

_'A new student in the dorm? ...Another Persona user...? That's an awful amount of us in the same place... Not that I've seen their Personas yet.'_

**_'That one smells of Fire. Yeah, he does have a Persona.'_ **

"… Hey, hurry up." Akihiko asked the person behind the door.

"Hold your horses... This is freakin' heavy." 

Minato immediately recognized the obnoxious voice, and wanted nothing more than to either palm his face or step out and never hear of this place again. Instead, he chose to stay.

Simply because he didn't want Pharos harassing him again. 

"J-Junpei?! ...Why is HE here?! Wait, don't tell me--"

"This is Junpei Iori from class 2-F. He'll be staying here as of today." Akihiko introduced.

Ugh. As if he didn't know who he was already.

"What's up?" Junpei asked, chuckling.

Minato was doing his best do keep an impassive face.

"He's staying HERE?! You've gotta be kidding me!" Yukari exclaimed.

"I bumped into him the other night. He has the potential, but he just awakened to it recently... I told him about us, and he agreed to help."

Yeah, well that was a fatal error, Akihiko-senpai.

"YOU have the potential?! For real?!"

"He found me cryin' like a baby at the convenience store, surrounded by a bunch of coffins. I don't remember much... But man, that was embarassing! He said that's, you know, completely normal... In the beginning. Like, bein' confused and not remembering anything. Did ya guys know that?"

He hadn't known, actually. Not that his awakening had been 'normal'.

"… But man, I was shocked to find out about you guys. I had no idea. I'm glad I'm not the only one. It could get kinda lonely, ya know?"

_'… Not lonely when the voice in your head keeps you company.'_

**_'Hah! Now that's a good one. Too bad they don't have that.'_ **

_'They don't?'_

**_'I don't think any of them knows their persona anywhere near enough to be able to talk to it. Let alone like we do.'_ **

_'… There goes something else I didn’t know.'_

"I bet you're stoked too, right?! Havin' me join..."

Not a single bit, Iori Junpei.

"Uh, y-yeah..." Yukari said. As if her expression didn’t translate the meaning well enough.

"Well, enough with the introductions. I think we're about ready..."

"Oooh, we're gonna do somethin'? Sweetness!"

"With this many people, we can start exploring that place."

**_'_ ** **_Oooh_ ** **_, now we get to the good part. Maybe the kid wasn't wrong, you know, these people might be useful.'_ **

"You mean... Tartarus...?" Yukari asked.

"Tartarus? What's that? Sounds like toothpaste." Junpei asked, looking as dumb as he probably was. At least to Minato. 

"We believe we can find the reason for the Dark Hour there." Akihiko stated.

 ** _'Heh! As if. There's some more interesting things there, though.'_** Minato could feel Thanatos grow excited at the idea of exploring it.

"I hope so..." 

"The Chairman will give us the details tomorrow night, so be ready."

_'What's in Tartarus, Thanatos?'_

**_'Shadows. Lots of them. And tons of shiny, shiny weapons...'_ **

_'… You mean it? … Okay, Pharos wasn't wrong. If I can get my hands on new swords, this is entirely worth the hassle.'_

**_'See, this is why I live in your head.'_ **

* * *

_20_ _ th _ _of April, 2009 – Evening_

"Okay, everybody's here." Ikutsuki started. "I'd like your undivided attention. For a long time, Mitsuru and Akihiko were the only Persona-users we had. But, that number recently jumped to five."

_'Because that's not suspicious at all, right?'_

**_'I still really don't like him. He smells of bad memories.'_ **

_'Didn’t even know you could have bad memories, Thanatos...'_

**_'I'll save that for later. Focus on listening to him, he might say something about new weapons!'_ **

"Therefore... Starting tonight at 12am, I'd like to commence the exploration of Tartarus.'

"Sorry... I asked this yesterday, but what's this Tartarus thing again?" Junpei intervened.

"You haven't seen it, Junpei?"

"Hm...?" 

"It's no surprise, since it only appears during the Dark Hour."

"Just like the Shadows..." Akihiko remarked. "Interesting, huh? And it's the perfect place for us to train. You can think of it as a shadow nest."

_'Shadow nest, huh?'_

**_'Surprisingly accurate, considering what the Tower's here for.'_ **

_'You know something, don't you?'_

**_''t's_ ** **_kinda_ ** **_fuzzy.'_ **

"Woah... Their nest, huh...?" Junpei wondered.

"But, senpai... What about your injury?"

"Since Akihiko hasn't fully recovered yet, he'll only come as far as the entrance." Mitsuru stated.

"… Yeah, I know." Although he was obviously unhappy about it.

"Well, I'm sure he won't complain, as long as you don't go too far in. Since we're dealing with Shadows, Tartarus isn't something we can avoid."

"Relax, I've got your backs!" Junpei shouted, way too eager to jump into a Shadow nest.

 _'I am_ absolutely _reassured by the idea of this guy having my back.'_

 ** _'Relax,_** **I** ** _'ve got your back!'_** Thanatos mocked the other's voice, and Minato had to stifle his laughter.

"I'm not so sure about this..." Yukari admitted.

"What about you, Mr. Chairman?" Mitsuru asked.

"I'll stay here. As you know, I can't summon a Persona..."

**_'_ ** **_So_ ** **_he just sends kids to fight in his stead? I trust him even less!'_ **

* * *

_20_ _ th _ _of April, 2009 – Minutes before the Dark Hour_

After a short walk, SEES arrived to an unexpected location – The main gate of their school.

"This is it? THIS is the place? Why HERE?" Junpei wondered.

"Just wait a few minutes..." Akihiko sighed. Junpei really was impatient. "It's almost midnight."

**_'Look closely, Minato, you're about to see something really interesting!'_ **

_'I already know what's going to happen, Thanatos. I just never walked in it.'_

As he finished his words, the world turned green and the school began to _shake._ Aisles moved, and pieces by pieces the Tower of Demise arose.

"This is Tartarus – The labyrinth that reveals itself during the Dark Hour." Mitsuru explained. 

"Labyrinth...?" Junpei wondered. "What are you talking about?! What happened to our school?!"

"Once the Dark Hour passes, everything returns to normal."

"This is the 'nest' you were talking about?! But, why?! Why'd our school turn into a giant tower?!"

Mitsuru remained quiet.

"… You don't know, either?" 

"… No."

"I'm sure it's complicated." Yukari faithfully blurted. "Who cares anyway? It's not like it would change our minds about fighting."

**_'So naïve. Others humans are a wonder to listen to, you know? Always saying dumb stuff.'_ **

_'I'll just remind you I used to be like that, too.'_

**_'And then you learned not to speak!'_ **

"Well, maybe now we'll find out." Akihiko calmed things down. "Mitsuru and I have only gone in to take a peek. This will be our first time exploring it. Exciting, isn't it? There has to be some sort of clue in here about the Dark Hour..."

**_'Well, probably not the kind he's expecting.'_ **

_'You'll have to tell me about it later.'_

**_'_ ** **_M'kay_ ** **_.'_ **

"Akihiko. I respect your enthusiasm, but you won't be accompanying us today."

"I know... You don't have to remind me." He still sounded really unhappy about it.

**_'You'd be unhappy too if someone decided you're not allowed to have your fun!'_ **

_'And I blame you for that.'_

**_'You're not wrong there.'_ **

Minato followed the rest of SEES within the tower. The moment he set a foot inside, a strange yet warm feeling nestled in his chest.

 ** _'_** ** _Hooome_** ** _sweet home.'_** Thanatos added in the back of his mind. **_'At least that's how it feels. Probably contagious.'_**

_'That's not the word I would've used... Is this how I should be feeling_ _?'_

**_'I guess? I_ ** **_dunno_ ** **_, I'm just a part of your soul. And Death. But eh, mostly a part of your soul, nowadays.'_ **

"Whoa... It's just as cool on the inside."

"But... It sure is creepy." Yukari looked spooked.

"This is only the entrance. The labyrinth lies beyond the doorway at the top of the stairs."

"First, we'll have you three get a feel for this place. Why don't you go have a look around?" 

"What?! By ourselves?!"

"We're not asking you to go very far." Mitsuru assured. "And I'll be feeding you information from here."

Minato would've listened further, but his attention was caught by something else. In a corner of the room was something. He couldn't see it, but he could definitely _feel_ that there was something.

_'Thanatos?'_

**_'Already checking, but I can't feel it nearly as good as_ ** **_you do. There's something. It's just not meant for me, I guess.'_ **

_'Alright. I'll take a look later.'_

Minato returned to listening to the group's conversations at the right time.

"We're also going to appoint a leader to make any necessary decisions."

"For real?!" Junpei asked. "… One of us? Oh! Oh! Me me me! Pick me!"

Akihiko took a moment, then – almost reluctantly – pointed at Minato, who in turn gave him a look that questioned his sanity.

"You're in charge."

"W-Wait! Why him?! He doesn't look like a leader! He doesn't even talk!"

"But, he HAS fought Shadows before..."

"Seriously?" Junpei wondered.

Minato, already growing annoyed with the other boy, decided to end the conversation before any complain came up.

"I've been fighting them for nearly ten years. I think I know what I'm doing."

"Wait, what-"

"That's something you hadn't told us, Arisato."

"It never came up."

There was a general moment of awkward quiet, before Akihiko picked up again.

"There's also another reason. You two..." He plucked his Evoker from its strap. "Can you summon your Persona without any difficulty, like he can?"

"Y-Yeah, of course I can!"

"I think so."

None of them looked like they actually could.

"These are Shadows we're talking about. Without your Persona, you're screwed."

"I'm aware of that..." Yukari said.

Akihiko led them up the stairs, and quietly, they stepped in one by one.

The moment all three had set foot inside the maze, the door closed behind them.

"So this is it, huh...?" Junpei wondered.

"I hope I don't get lost..."

_'Not that we'd help her.'_

**"Can you all hear me?"** Mitsuru's voice echoed through their heads.

"Whoa! Is that you, senpai?" 

**"I'll be providing audio backup from here on out."**

"Wait... Ya mean, you can see inside here?"

**"It's my Persona's ability. I'd like to join you, but the structure of this Tower changes from day to day. That's why outside support is imperative."**

"Well, THAT makes me feel a whole lot better..."

**"Now, based on your current location, you can expect to encounter enemies at any minute. They shouldn't be too** **tough, but** **proceed with caution."**

Deep within his soul, Thanatos prepared to fight. He was happy – Climbing Tartarus meant fighting a lot of Shadows, and fighting made him happy, which in turn also made his host happy. Overall, it was nothing but good stuff. And also, weapons. 

**_'Shiny_ ** **_shiny_ ** **_weapons... And Shadows.'_ **

_'I just hope these two won't burden us too much. Or friendly fire may happen.'_

**_'That wouldn't be my fault!'_ **

The small group went onward in the halls, until eventually Mitsuru notified them of the presence of a Shadow past a corner.

"You two, stay here. I'll catch it by surprise. Then you can come out." Minato ordered in short bits of sentences. 

"A-alright..."

Sword in hand, Minato's steps were so light that he knew he was still unnoticed. He snuck up behind the shadow, lifted his sword, and in a single, clean strike, the blob of shadows split in multiple foes. 

He beckoned to the other two, and was exasperated to see that Yukari's first reaction to fighting was bringing her Evoker to her head and summoning her Persona to cast a spell.

How she was supposed to do anything if she couldn't fight by herself? He didn't know. Especially since she was relying on an Evoker, unlike him.

At least her spell was enough to knock the shadow down – it didn't even kill it, it didn't even kill a _cowardly_ _maya_ _–_ of which he took advantage by striking the fiend down.

Still, it would take a long time. He had to teach fledgling Persona users how to fight.

In the back of his mind, he could hear Thanatos complaining. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love writing thanatos


	3. Green

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minato takes two newly-awoken Persona users to Tartarus.
> 
> It doesn't go as he wishes it would've.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Current pairing votes:  
> Ryoji - 2  
> Fuuka - 1  
> Mitsuru - 1  
> Akihiko - 0  
> I realize the current writing style of this fic might be boring, but i honestly want to get through the arcana shadows asap because the interesting part is after these ;;

**Chapter** **3:** **Green**

Junpei fell and hit the ground after missing an attack _on an enemy that didn't move?_

Okay, Minato could take it.

Yukari wasted all her energy on rather useless spells and didn't think of saving some to heal them?

Okay, Minato could take it.

They both grew tired about five minutes in the halls of Tartarus?

Not surprising. They were new to the Dark Hour.

Mitsuru asks for him to summon his Persona to show them the ropes?

No could do. Thanatos was costly, and he wouldn't waste his energy on _cowardly_ _Mayas_ _._

So, armed with nothing more than a sword plucked from his personal collection – Not that he had told them about that – Minato went and cleared the entire floor of shadows, followed by his two burdens.

**_'I know the kid can say smart stuff sometimes, but why did you listen to him on this one?'_ **

_'He wouldn't shut up about it.'_

**_'Pretty sure that would still be better than... This.'_ **

Minato honestly thought that Thanatos wasn't wrong, as finally the small group stumbled upon the teleporter pad that would take them back to the Tower's entrance.

"Welcome back." Mitsuru greeted as they appeared. "So, how was it?"

He had to refrain from sighing and instead let the other two do the speaking.

"It was crazy... Man, I'm so tired!" Junpei complained, while Yukari looked unsure about ever returning.

"I see." Mitsuru acquiesced.

"But... I never knew I had that kinda power!" Junpei went on. "We kicked some ass!"

**_'That guy's too loud.'_ **

_'Agreed.'_

**_'Can we just ditch them next time?'_ **

_'And have Pharos babble for the next three weeks, no thank you.'_

"You spent the whole time bouncing around like a little kid, Junpei." 

"Hey! Sorry for being hyped about this!"

"In any case, I'm guessing you're all tired, so we'll stop for today. It's the effect of the Dark Hour; you'll become fatigued more easily. Don't worry, though, you'll adapt."

_'And please, adapt quickly.'_

"But I'm surprised. You all did much better than I expected."

Minato almost choked on his breath.

"At this rate, they'll catch up to you in no time, Akihiko."

"Heh, we'll see about that."

As the group headed home, Minato remained behind to look at the Tower for just a moment longer. 

**_'Guess we're_ ** **_gonna_ ** **_go for the top, eh?'_ **

_'Not before a while. This Tower is huge.'_

**_'About 250 floors packed with shadows. I say it makes good practice!'_ **

Minato chuckled. 

Perhaps joining SEES would be worth it.

* * *

_21_ _ st _ _of April, 2009_

Minato woke up _tired_. He wasn't sure why, he hadn't had any nightmares nor anything.

Then he remembered that he went to Tartarus the previous night.

_'Well, guess it doesn't help the tiredness.'_

**_'Why do you even bother going to school if you're just_ ** **_gonna_ ** **_sleep there? Can't you just stay here?'_ **

_'… I don't feel like getting gutted by_ _Kirijo_ _, you know.'_

**_'Eh? But we'd-'_ **

_'I didn’t mean it_ _lit_ _erally_ _...'_

And so Minato set off to his usual morning routine. Taking some time to wake up fully, checking for another camera in his room, showering, making sure that another camera hadn't been put in his room while he was showering, making sure his hair was covering his right eye properly, and finally checking for another camera in his room.

Paranoia? Not at all.

**_'You know I'd know if there was another camera, right?'_ **

_'You never know, Thanatos. And I'm not too fond of the idea of being watched in my sleep.'_

As he left the dorm and boarded the monorail, he remembered that there would be a morning assembly. Mitsuru had been elected Student Council President – unsurprisingly – and had apparently prepared a speech.

Neat, more sleep for him.

He slept through every single word of it, Thanatos on the edge of his unconsciousness to rouse him if needed. 

He also shamelessly slept through classes, and as he was leaving the school and heading towards the dorm, he was interrupted by Akihiko and his trail of fangirls.

"Hey, are you free this afternoon?"

Minato nodded, reluctantly. If it had to do with SEES, he didn't have much of a choice, the 'Pharos threat' clear in his mind.

And he kind of liked being able to sleep through the Dark Hour, so...

"Meet me at Paulownia Mall. Junpei should be there, too. You know where it is, right? I'll be at the police station."

_'The Police station? What could he even want there?'_

**_'Why'd you ask me? I don't know what's there.'_ **

_'I wasn't asking you—You know what, never mind.'_

Mere hours later, Minato was walking to the Police station.

"Thank you, Sir." He heard Akihiko, talking to an officer. "Oh, these are the guys I was talking about earlier." He added as he saw him coming in, followed closely by Junpei. "I was waiting for you guys. This is officer Kurosawa. He helps keep our squad well equipped.

Immediately, Minato's cloudy eye lit up. 

**_'WEAPONS!'_** He and Thanatos thought at the same time.

His reaction didn't go unnoticed.

"Uh... Dude, you alright?" Junpei asked.

"Anyway... This is from Ikutsuki." Akihiko added, handing them some money. With a quick glance, Minato counted about five thousand yens. 

He didn't really lack money, but hey. Some more never hurt.

"R-Really?! Sweet!" Junpei exclaimed.

"You can't find empty-handed, so find something you like. Officer Kurosawa has connections..." Akihiko explained. "… But these things still cost money."

Minato had to keep himself from drooling at the idea of a reliable source for _more shiny_ _cutting stuff,_ while Thanatos almost sounded like he was crooning, making it one of the weirdest sound he ever heard.

"Of course they do. Nothing in life is free." The officer added, following Akihiko's statement. 

"I realize that. Well, we'll see you later. Thanks again." The silver-haired student said as he left.

"I've been informed about you two. My job is to maintain peace in this city, regardless of the circumstances. I'm just an ordinary police officer, but it doesn't take a genius to know something strange is going on here. I'm only doing what I think is right."

Minato only half-listened to what the man was saying, wanting nothing more than to skip to the point of seeing what weapons he had to offer... And potentially buy all the swords he didn't already have.

He ended up going back to the dorm with three new blades hidden in a carefully large backpack, a very slight trail of drool on the corner of his mouth.

Junpei would rather have forgotten the sight of an over-excited Minato.

* * *

_27_ _ th _ _of April, 2009_

Morning assembly? Sweet, sweet naptime.

Minato didn't even bother learning why he had to endure a speech from the Principal today, but he dozed off in a matter of seconds. He supposed it was a form of talent, to be able to sleep anywhere and at any time, but he didn't really care.

He also slept through class. Lectures were boring.

At the end of the school day, as he got up and prepared to leave, he was interrupted by Junpei.

"FYI-" ' _Who even speaks like that out loud?!'_ "Akihiko-senpai is at the hospital, getting a check-up. He called me earlier and asked me to bring him something."

"In what does that affect me?" Minato mumbled, barely heard by the other boy.

"Well, I just-"

"He only asked you cause you don't have anything else to do after school, Stupei." Yukari said. 

"Hey! I resent that."

"I'm just kidding. So, what'd he want you to bring?"

"I don't know what Akihiko asked for, but do you really need to include me in that conversation?" Minato asked, the most he had spoken in a single sentence since he had met them. 

"Oh- uh, sorry..." Yukari apologized.

"Dude, really? We're just tryna chat a little bit!" 

Annoyed by the capped teen's behaviour, Minato just went straight for the exit.

"Hey! You listenin' to what I said?"

Ignoring him, the blue-haired boy went home for the day.

* * *

_29_ _ th _ _of April, 2009_

"Could we go to Tartarus tonight?"

Mitsuru spent a second to consider it, then looked back at him. "Alright, Arisato. I will tell Takeba and Iori once they return."

Heading back to his room, Minato prepared all he needed for the expedition into the Tower.

**_'Will you summon me today?'_ **

_'I'd rather not have to, honestly. Pretty sure these two would just be scared of you.'_

**_'_ ** **_D'aww_ ** **_, I'm not that scary, am I?'_ **

_'You have a giant sword and you carry coffins. Not to mention, seeing you on a screen and seeing you ripping a shadow apart live is probably different.'_

**_'You're right, you're right. Still, I'm getting bored!'_ **

_'Me too, believe me. The shadows in those levels are weak...'_

Around 11:15pm, Minato decided that it was time to head to the lounge. No one was there, so he decided he'd wait for them.

Mitsuru came downstairs first, followed a few minutes later by Akihiko, who added that he still wasn’t allowed to fight, then Yukari and finally Junpei. 

Midnight hit, the Tower arose, and the exploration began.

Of course, not without Junpei whining about the leadership, but Minato was blatantly ignoring him. He was even tempted to put on his headphones and blast the music so loud that not even the Shadows would be heard, but the Dark Hour denied him that.

Too bad.

As they reached the fifth floor, Junpei was already growing fatigued, to Minato's irritation. 

"Can't you practice or something? If you keep getting tired so fast, we're gonna have problems."

That made the boy explode.

"Dude, seriously? You think that just because you're supposed to be the leader, you can say stuff like that?"

The blue-haired teen shot him a questioning glance, but he just went on.

"You haven't even summoned once- You know what, can you even use a Persona? I'm sure you're just too scared to pull the trigger! Where's your Evoker even?!"

Minato just sighed in annoyance, and that seemed to push Junpei even further.

"You know what? I don't need a leader like you. I can do this by myself!"

And he rushed off by himself through the halls.

**"Iori! Come back here this moment!"** Mitsuru commanded. **"There's a bunch of stronger shadows ahead. If Iori rushes like this, he'll-"**

"Got it." Minato spoke, as he went ahead, leaving Yukari to catch up. 

After a corner, they found Junpei struggling to fend off three bird-like creatures, short on breath and with no room for an escape.

"Die, dammit-!"

**_'_ ** **_Oooh_ ** **_, these seem sweet. Hey, could you summon me? Pretty please with a sword on top?'_ **

Minato just rushed ahead, wanting to see how strong those Shadows were supposed to be.

He wasn't disappointed when the response to his charge was taking a Garu to the face. He brushed it off, but now understood why Junpei was on the floor. 

Being weak to wind happened to be a lack of luck, but Minato took that occasion to prove a point. 

"Yukari, you heal him. I'll take care of these."

He stood straight against his foes, and with a single call, power surged through him.

_"THANATOS!"_

The Persona appeared, faster than he had that day on the roof. In a single moment he was there, already picking a target.

To Minato and Thanatos, it was a simple fight. But from Junpei and Yukari, it an entirely different sight.

The coordination between the two was something unseen – Usually, any of the members of SEES would just summon their Persona, have it throw an attack at their target and let it fade.

The monstrous Persona didn't fade for a single moment during the fight. It attacked precisely, not missing a single attack, and never colliding with his user who assaulted the Shadows at the same time. It was like watching a dance, but instead of gracious, ample movements, it was a dance of blood and swords. Had any of them looked more carefully, they would've noticed the manic grin and the strange light in Minato's eyes, but the Persona was far more impressive in their eyes.

As the third shadow fell and faded into nothingness, the beast disappeared, returning to the depths of his host's soul.

"W-Whoa..." Was all Junpei managed to say, flabbergasted as he was.

Would he, one day, also be able to fight like that, so well in sync with his Persona?

He sure hoped so.

"Let's go back down." Minato demanded.

None of the two asked otherwise.

* * *

 

_2_ _ nd _ _of May, 2009 – Dark Hour._

"Hi, how've you been?"

The higher-pitched voice woke him up in an instant.

"Hey, Pharos. I'm all good, how about you, lil' buddy?"

"I've been fine. It's been a while."

**_'That it has, little one. At least you're not harassing us anymore.'_ **

Pharos chuckled.

"One week from now, there will be a full moon..." He said. "Be careful. A new ordeal awaits you."

**_'Ordeal? You mean a fight?'_ **

"Pharos?"

"On full moons, you will face your greatest challenges... You must prepare for the ordeal, for time is of the essence..."

"Pharos, are you alright...?"

**_'He's remembering something, Minato. Listen.'_ **

"But I'm sure you're always ready, of course. I'll come see you again after it. Goodbye, for now." He said cryptically, before fading into the Dark Hour.

_'An ordeal, huh...?'_

**_'I'll stay on the watch. The kid's always right with these things.'_ **

_'Alright, Thanatos. Tell me if anything comes up.'_

**_'Will do. As always...'_ **

* * *

_3_ _ rd _ _of May, 2009 – Evening_

Minato couldn't sleep.

He wasn't sure why – Sure, he was worried about the ordeal Pharos had mentioned, but he still had nearly a week. He took a moment to look outside, his gaze towards the moon.

She – calling her so was a habit picked from Thanatos and Pharos – was bright today. About six days remained until the full moon, and he wondered what that day would hold for him. If Pharos said something important would happen, he would trust him.

He just hoped that if it ended up in a fight, his teammates would be reliable.

He, like all other SEES members, was strictly forbidden from leaving the dorm before or during the Dark Hour without a good reason, and explaining that 'the kid only I can see and the Death god in my head want me to go fight stuff' wouldn't exactly work. 

So if he wanted to go out, he'd either have to bring the two idiots with him or learn to defy the laws of gravity and jump off from his window... And risk Mitsuru detecting him outside.

Because he wasn't exactly the most discrete readings-wise, according to her. 

He blamed Thanatos for that one.

He returned to his sad attempts to sleep wondering if there was a way to hide his presence from her.

* * *

_5_ _ th _ _of May, 2009 – Early morning_

Even though they had visited Tartarus the previous night, Minato wasn't feeling too tired. Usually he'd be sleeping through class, but even when trying he just couldn't, to his peers' surprise.

Still, with his head resting on his crossed arms, he could hear Junpei begging him for an answer as the teacher had asked him a question.

He ignored him, focusing on trying to sleep. 

**_'Can't sleep either?'_ **

_'Either? You mean you have the same problem?'_

**_'Yeah. '_ ** **_ts_ ** **_annoying. I bet the kid did something.'_ **

_'Hey, don't speak like that about Pharos._ _I'm sure it's not his fault.'_

**_'Then who's fault is it?'_ **

_'Maybe no one?'_

**_'Nah. I'm sure it's him.'_ **

Minato sighed. Winning an argument against Thanatos wasn't possible, so he just let the Persona think whatever he wanted. It was almost funny, how the Death god could be stubborn as a... Child. Minato wasn't foolish; he knew both Pharos and Thanatos had come from the same thing, so he knew that if Thanatos thought the small boy was guilty of something, then he probably was.

But he thought it was funnier to mess with him.

**_'Heard that.'_ **

_'Dammit!_ _'_

* * *

_9_ _ th _ _of May, 2009 – Dark Hour_

Mitsuru sighed as the device once again refused to work properly. She needed to expand her detection range, and for that she needed it to function as she wanted.

"You're still at it?" Akihiko walked in, wondering how she'd been doing with her task.

"Yeah. You never know when the enemy might appear."

"But I thought you couldn't scan outside of Tartarus?"

"To be honest, I lack the power... Maybe this is the best Penthesilea can do in terms of data gathering. But then again, we don't really know the limits of the powers of Persona. Have you seen Arisato's?"

"But he's been awake for ten years. Even I was surprised. And I'm not even sure he's reached his full potential yet."

"Huh...?" Suddenly, Mitsuru cut the conversation short. "There's a shadow!" She exclaimed.

"What?! You actually found one?!"

"Wait, something's not right. The reading's too big! We've never encountered anything like--"

"You mean, it's one of those?"

"It must be." She affirmed.

"Well then, this is gonna be fun. I'll wake up the others."

As Akihiko went downstairs, he knocked at each of the other members of SEES' doors one by one. 

Yukari came out in a matter of seconds, already armed and ready to fight.

Junpei took several minutes, and the sound he had made when Akihiko had knocked was clearly that of a person who was woken up.

As for Minato, as he knocked on the door, he heard a vague "Who's there...?" And what definitely sounded like a window being closed.

"Minato, you in there? It's me, Akihiko. A shadow has appeared in town and-"

Immediately, the door was shoved open and Minato appeared with a facial expression easily describable by 'someone attempting to hide a grin that is absolutely-not-scary and failing sadly'.

"A shadow?"

"Y-yeah. Mitsuru asked me to gather everyone and..."

Minato was out of his room and walking to the stairs before Akihiko could even finish his sentence, a sword hanging at his side.

* * *

"We've detected a shadow outside of Tartarus." Mitsuru began. "We don't know for sure, but we think it's another big one."

She purposefully ignored how Arisato's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree and moved on with her explanation.

"We have to defeat any of them we find, as quickly as possible. Most people don't know the Dark Hour exists. But if half the city is destroyed, there will be panic. That must be avoided at all costs." She asserted, looking at all three active team members one by one. 

"In other words, we need to kick some ass, right? Well count me in!" Junpei said, cheerfully.

"Junpei..." Yukari sighed.

"Akihiko, you stay here and wait for the Chairman." Mitsuru commanded. 

"What?! Are you kidding?! I'm going!"

"You still need to recover. You'll just be a hindrance."

"Hey, I-"

"She's right." Minato said. "It's no use coming if you can't fight."

"Tch." Was the sound Akihiko made in response, but said nothing further.

"They'll fare better than you, in your current state. Have faith in them, Akihiko. They're ready. You'll get your chance. But for now, wait for the Chairman."

"… Dammit..." Akihiko looked truly annoyed with the situation.

"Relax! I've got it covered!" Junpei claimed, and to that Yukari looked amused.

"I guess I've got no choice..." The older student finally admitted. "You're in charge." He told Minato. 

"Him again?" Blurted Junpei, annoyed.

"We're counting on you."

Minato didn't respond, but made it clear that he heard them.

"Heh, looks like you're stuck playin' leader again... Sucks to be you."

"Didn't you learn from when you went ahead in Tartarus, Junpei?" The blue-haired boy asked, and suddenly the capped boy looked green.

"In any case, you should let the three of them go ahead, Mitsuru. If you're providing backup out there, you'll need time to get ready, right?"

"You three, wait for me in front of the station. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Got it. Alright, let's go!" Yukari cheered.

* * *

"Where is she...?" Yukari wondered. She, Junpei and Minato had been waiting for a few minutes at the station, as they had been ordered by Mitsuru. Each of them were growing more impatient by the second.

"She'll be here soon." Junpei reassured.

Minato, instead of talking with his teammates, was looking around, a single grey eye scouring the surroundings.

**_'I can feel it... It's not far from here.'_ **

_'You can what now? Since when are you a sensor-type, Thanatos?'_ Minato mocked.

**_'I_ ** **_ain't_ ** **_! 's not a normal shadow._ ** **_Prob'ly_ ** **_what the kid was trying to tell you.'_ **

_'_ _So_ _Pharos knew a big Shadow was_ _gonna_ _show up tonight? How?'_

**_'_ ** **_Dunno_ ** **_. We may be Death, but we_ ** **_ain't_ ** **_exactly the same thing.'_ **

_'I know, I know. I'm just wondering.'_

Minato honestly felt like getting up and simply running towards where Thanatos could feel the Shadow, but he was interrupted by the roar of a motorcycle coming their way.

Hold on – A bike?

As Mitsuru drove closer and 'parked' right on front of them, she greeted them.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Listen carefully. Tonight, I'll be providing support from here. Everything else is the same. The Shadow is currently located inside a monorail, not far from the station. To get there, you'll have to walk on the tracks."

**_'Well, there's some excitement!'_ **

_'… That plan sounds absolutely safe... I love it!'_

"Are you serious?! Isn't that dangerous?" Junpei commented.

"Don't worry. No electronic equipment is operable during the Dark Hour, including the monorails."

**_'Which is totally proved by her bike.'_ **

"But, your bike..."

**_'THANK MOTHER NYX, THAT BOY FINALLY SAID SOMETHING SMART!'_ **

Once again, Minato found himself having to prevent himself from laughing out loud from his friend's antics.

"It's special." Mitsuru confirmed. "Now, if circumstances change, I'll notify you immediately. Now, let's get started."

* * *

_'That was totally a good idea, RIGHT?!'_

Because electronics do not work during the Dark Hour, Minato was definitely not locked in a monorail moving at high-speed, filled to the brim with shadows and worst of all, stuck with Yukari and Junpei.

"Not gonna waste a single second..." Minato sighed. "Thanatos!" He bellowed, and the Persona materialized by his side. "Let's go."

The three humans and the monster rushed through the different cars as fast as they could – Which ended up being quite the high speed thanks to Thanatos' presence. 

**_'Not that I want to see what you look like after a monorail crash. Probably something akin to a human puddle.'_ **

_'I'd rather you don't dwell on details, I've seen enough human puddles in my life, thank you very much.'_

At least Junpei hadn't rushed ahead like he had done in Tartarus.

As the group barged through yet another door, they finally reached their target. 

"There it is...!" Junpei realized. "What the hell?! ...Is this the friggin' boss?"

The shadow looked like a giant woman, sitting on the floor. Its hair was like paper, covering the walls and part of the ceiling, and a pink mask was covering its face.

"We're in the front car – It's gotta be!"

**"Hurry!"** Mitsuru called.

Quickly, the three of them engaged the Shadow in battle.

**_'It's definitely the big one.'_** Thanatos confirmed.

_'Then let's get this 'ordeal' over with.'_

Thanatos, who had remained by his host's side, was quick to assault the enemy shadow, checking whether or not brute force was effective, which earned him a positive response.

_'Alright!'_

"Yukari, you focus on keeping us alive. Junpei, you're on the offensive. Let's kill this thing!" Minato commanded. And so the group set in motion – Thanatos and Minato practicing their usual blade works as Junpei occasionally chimed in with Hermes, Yukari closing any wound that opened, eventually resorting to throwing spells at the shadow when a certain amount of time had elapsed without anyone getting hurt.

The fight wasn't a particularly tough one. Although the shadow had decent spells at its disposition, it was not very resilient, and after a few minutes it faded into oblivion. 

Which left the slight problem of...

"Did we make it in time?" Junpei wondered.

**_'Dumb question. That thing's still moving.'_ **

"...Hey, why're we still moving?!"

"We're going too fast! We have to put on the brakes, or else...!"

_'Thank you for your obvious remark,_ _Yukari.'_ Minato thought snarkily. 

**_'Don't think you have enough time for stuff like that, Minato. Not to be rude, but you're_** ** _kinda_** **_gonna_** ** _die if nothing changes.'_**

_'… True, actually...'_

**"What are you waiting for?! There's a train up ahead!"** Mitsuru yelled.

"Dammit! I don't know how to stop this thing!"

Yukari began to shriek, helpless as she was.

**_'For Tartarus' sake, can't these people do anything?!'_** Thanatos shouted, as Minato almost threw himself at the controls.

He reached at a random lever, and found himself very lucky to have, in fact, picked the brakes. 

"D-Did we stop...?" Junpei wondered.

"I-I think so..." Yukari stuttered.

**"Is everyone alright?!"** Mitsuru barked in their ears.

"Uh, y-yeah. We're okay." The other girl reassured. "Ha-haha... My knees are shaking."

"Dude... I'm like, drenched in sweat..."

**"I'm so glad you're all safe... I'm sorry I couldn't do more on my end."**

**_''s a bit late to apologize, isn't it?'_** Thanatos stated, only to Minato's ears.

**"I don't detect any more Shadows. You guys did a great job, so come on home."**

* * *

_Later, the same night..._

_'Thanatos, you still there?'_

**_''course I am. What is it?'_ **

_'Are you feeling... Different, right now? Like something's changed? I feel stronger, but I can't explain why.'_

**_'You're right. Something's changed. Not that I know what.'_ **

_'Hm... I'll ask Pharos next time he shows up.'_

And on those words, Minato fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Funny, how when i first played P3 I was totally indifferent to some characters, but when I replayed I grew to really like Akihiko's character (blame Liam O'Brien) and... Deeply hated Yukari. I mean I get what they tried to do but most of the time she just comes off as annoying.   
> Also, funnily enough I have two OTPs for Minato (MinaAki and RyoMina. I'm not usually one for yaoi but i just find that these work so well for different reasons. Really, the only girls I can tolerate with Minato are Fuuka, Mitsuru and Aigis, and I can't write Aigis for sh**)


	4. The Tick of the Clock

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to such a small amount of people voting, votes are now limited between the two characters at the head of it, so pick between:  
> Akihiko  
> Ryoji  
> Votes have been reset, so if you already picked one you can vote again \^v^/  
> (im honestly leaning more towards akihiko but not letting you guys pick when i started a poll would be ruuuuUUUDE)

**Chapter** **4:** **The** **Tick** **of the** **Clock**

_24th of May, 2009 –_ _Dark_ _Hour_

 _'Dammit_ _dammit_ _dammit_ _dammit_ _DAMMIT_ _!'_

**_'STOP CURSING AND KEEP RUNNING, IT'S CATCHING UP!_ ** **_'_ **

Since Akihiko was – finally – able to fight again, the SEES team had decided to head to Tartarus to train, so their senpai could get back into proper shape.

And so, the four of them had lingered quite a while on a floor that was filled to the brim with shadows and loot, thinking that they could clear it out entirely before moving on to the next.

Oh, that had been an error.

After a few minutes, Mitsuru had warned them of a bad feeling, but Minato brushed it off as a big enemy on a higher floor.

That, too, had been an error, because a minute later he found himself with Thanatos shouting at him to ' _get_ _the fuck out'_ of the floor because a _'gigantic fucker'_ was coming their way and it was definitely not happy about the intruders. 

And so, the group of fighters was dashing towards the stairs, Reaper hot on their heels, their adrenaline fuelled by the constant clicking sound produced by the bloody chains of that _thing_. 

As soon as the wonderful green light of the teleporter pad was in sight, Minato almost leapt towards it, followed closely by his team members. As the four of them landed on the floor of the main room in a beautiful pile of arms and legs, they prepared for the execution that was most likely coming their – actually, scratch that, Minato's – way. 

"How could you ignore my warnings, Arisato?! You put everyone in danger!"

He was tempted to just plug his ears and straight up ignore her, but he knew it'd end even worse.

"They could've died – You could've died!"

The emptiness of the gaze he sent her way only served to enrage her further.

"Can you imagine what would've happened had you not found a way back?!"

"Someone would've died so the rest could escape. And?" He finally asked, bluntly.

"And?! How can you even ask something like that?!" Akihiko shouted.

"Do you realize what you're saying, Arisato?!"

"Look, let me make things clear: I couldn't care less what happens to any of you. I'll save my hide first, and if you can't keep up, then you're dead weight."

"Dead wei- That's it. Arisato, you will not lead SEES in the fields anymore. Akihiko will lead from now on. We'll have a serious talk once we return to the dorm."

Minato honestly couldn't care less – If he didn't have to lead the team, then maybe he would actually have a bit more freedom when it came to fighting. Because even though he hadn't restrained himself much in his fighting style, he hadn't gone off on a shadow-killing spree if the others weren't following up, even though Thanatos had very much wished he would've, simply because he knew Pharos wouldn't be too happy about it.

And if Pharos ever decided to be a little shit, then he definitely _would_ be one.

So when Mitsuru glared at Minato for his behaviour, he simply rolled his eyes and walked back to the dorm by himself as the others talked amongst themselves.

* * *

"I never thought he'd be like that... I mean, he doesn't seem to like people much, but I didn't think it would be that bad..." Yukari admitted, as she, Junpei, Mitsuru and Akihiko walked home.

"That guy... He gets to lead, and all he does is just put us in danger! I don't think I've ever been scared so bad as when that thing was behind us!" Junpei shouted

"Well... To be fair, I find his Persona pretty scary too..."

"Yeah! It's like some kinda weird monster, and the way it moves! It's like it doesn't even obey him!"

"I have not seen it for myself. Is the way they fight together that impressive?" Mitsuru wondered.

"It's crazy..." Junpei said. "It's really like his Persona's fighting by itself. Makes me so angry, to think that a guy like that's such an ass!"

"I dunno... I mean, I'm angry at him for what he did today, but maybe he's just very different from us..." Yukari mused.

* * *

_25_ _ th _ _of May, 2009 - Evening_

**_'Not looking forward to that girl's 'talk' with_ ** **_ya_ ** **_.'_ **

_'I couldn't care less, Thanatos. I probably won't listen anyway.'_

**_'She's a_ ** **_Kirijo_ ** **_, though... These people have power.'_ **

_'How do you even know that?'_ Minato wondered.

**_'_ ** **_Dunno_ ** **_.'_ **

_'That sure helps a lot, Thanatos.'_

**_'Hey! Not my fault!'_ **

Minato sighed as he waited for one, two minutes, before...

"Minato, are you there?"

Apparently, it was Yukari who volunteered to come knock at his door.

"What do you want?"

"Kirijo-senpai wants to talk to you."

"Can't it wait?"

"… I wouldn't make her wait if I were you."

Reluctantly, Minato left his room and headed for the fourth floor's command room, where Mitsuru and Akihiko were awaiting him.

Surprisingly, no Junpei.

"Arisato. I believe you know why we have called you here?"

Minato didn't even sit down, simply deciding to face Mitsuru... And take her gaze to the face, impressive as it was. As she focused on the single eye she could see, he almost wanted to look away, but held strong.

"Your behaviour in our recent expedition in Tartarus is strictly unacceptable. But you do deserve a chance to explain yourself. So speak."

"There's nothing to explain." He spoke, monotone and quiet as he always was.

"So you decided to ignore my warnings for no reason?"

"I've fought by myself for ten years. I know when I have to leave." _I only trust Thanatos' warnings –_ was his actual thought.

"That is not how you fight with a team, Arisato."

Hearing that, Minato actually had a blank moment.

She was right, on that fact.

He had no idea how to fight with a team, because his team was Thanatos and nothing more.

"Do not misunderstand me. According to all three of your teammates, you are a more than excellent fighter. But what you did is not fighting with a team. So from now on, I would like you to follow my orders, as well as Akihiko's."

Minato broke the eye contact he held and stared down at the floor, a slow, unknown form of panic creeping into his heart.

_'Thanatos.'_

**_'_ ** **_Dunno_ ** **_.'_ **

_'I didn’t even-'_

**_'If_ ** **_you want to listen to them, then listen to them. I'm only focused on keeping you in one piece, can't do that with more people.'_ **

Minato needed some time to think. For ten years, he had fought for no one more than himself, with Thanatos as his only companion, and now he had to pick between learning to fight in a team or to ignore both Pharos and that strange sense of longing that had begun to nest in his heart.

He wasn't afraid of admitting his flaws, but admitting that he didn't know how to have anyone watching his back was, in a sense, scary.

"Give me some time." He blurted, before almost running out of the room.

He had accepted to join SEES too fast.

* * *

Minato was locked in his room, sitting on the edge of his bed, deep in thoughts. For some reason, he was feeling nauseous and wanted nothing more than hide under his blanket and disappear.

**_'Friends, that's the word you're looking for.'_ **

_'No, Thanatos. I can't- I can't make friends. You know what happens. Every single time.'_

**_'Yeah, well if the kid said to make friends with '_ ** **_em_ ** **_, then maybe it won't happen.'_ **

_'Pharos can't always be right, you know that.'_

**_'But isn't he your friend? And he's still here.'_ **

_'But he's not- He's-'_

**_'Not human? And what?'_ **

_'He's not_ alive _, Thanatos. People who aren't alive can't die.'_

**_'You think I don't know that? I'm_ ** **_lit_ ** **_erally_ ** **_Death, Minato. I think you can trust me on that_ ** **_.'_ **

_'They'll die if I get too close.'_

**_'Pretty sure they'll die anyway, at some point.'_ **

_'That's not what I meant and you know it.'_

**_'Well let's say I don't for a second. What proof do you have that you getting close will kill '_ ** **_em_ ** **_?'_ **

_'I don't know, maybe the past ten years?'_

**_'Not a single one of the people that died were Persona-users, or even aware of the Dark Hour. These people are different.'_ **

_'What proof do you_ _have? How do I know they're not going to die the moment_ _I..._ _The moment I...'_

**_'Can't you trust me? Can't you trust the kid? We tell you to give them a chance, Minato. Trust us. Trust them.'_ **

_'…'_

**_'Minato?'_ **

_'… I'm scared. I'm scared o_ _f losing everything I'll make._ _'_

**_'_ ** **_I know.'_ **

* * *

 

_'Perhaps, then, our guest will finally come knock at our door.'_

* * *

_He_ _remembered a dream he had long ago. It was of a blue room, so blue that not_ _even the sky could compare. Two people had awaited him within the room – a man with a giant nose, and a woman dressed in the colours of the room, with striking yellow eyes._

_They had told him that they waited for him – That one day, he would meet the requirements and stop fearing that which would bring him power._

_He didn't understand back then, and ever since,_ _the colour had haunted every single one of his dreams._

_He thought the flicker of_ something _he was feeling may have something to do with it._

* * *

_8_ _ th _ _of June, 2009_

It had been about two weeks since Yukari had even spoken a single word to Minato, and she was seriously wondering how he was doing. Judging from his behaviour, so did Junpei.

Since then, she and Junpei had been gathering clues about a new Persona-user that would've awoken. Apparently, she was a student in the class next to theirs, and... She had completely disappeared for a few days and had still not been found.

Thanks to Mitsuru's help, they had learned that she had, in fact, been in the school when the Dark Hour struck, and so was possibly stuck within Tartarus.

And so now, SEES minus Minato were in the Command Room, preparing a plan to rescue the lost girl.

"Hmm..." Mitsuru frowned, deep in thoughts.

"What's wrong?" Inquired Akihiko.

"I can't get a hold of the Chairman."

"I guess we can handle it ourselves." Yukari reassured.

"There's one problem, though. Without the Chairman's help, I'm not sure how we can get inside the school."

"No need to worry. I've got it all set to go!" Junpei cheered.

"Set to go...?" Mitsuru wondered. "An explosive?" She asked, drawing odd looks onto Junpei. "Alright, I'll let you handle this."

"Before we go... Should we ask Minato to join us?" Akihiko asked, wondering what the other's thoughts were on the subject.

"I don't want to push him faster than he can go." Mitsuru stated. 

Her timing was perfect, as before any of the other two could speak, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." She responded.

Quietly, almost shyly, Minato stepped in. He, somehow, looked both very hesitant and energetic at the same time. 

"Heard there was something important today?" He asked softly.

* * *

"See? We got in no problem. Man, I’m a genius!"

SEES, this time with Minato, had successfully managed to get inside Gekkoukan High in the middle of the night. 

"Is that really something to brag about, Junpei?" Yukari asked, quizzical.

"So you unlocked it earlier..." Mitsuru stated. "Très bien!"

"No time for compliments. Let's go." Said Akihiko as he went off, followed by Mitsuru and Minato.

"What's the big deal anyway...?" Yukari sighed.

"Tray Ben...? What's that mean? That's not Japanese, was it?"

* * *

"Could we turn on the lights...?" Yukari wondered as they reached a dark classroom.

"Aww, you scared?" Teased Junpei.

"I'm not! ...Stupei."

"Stop callin' me that!"

"Quiet." Akihiko called. "It's better we leave the lights off. They cut the power at night anyway."

"I don't like sneaking around..." Yukari complained.

"First, we have to find the key to the gym." Mitsuru explained. "Akihiko, Arisato and myself will check the janitor's room. You three check the Faculty Office. After that, we'll meet in the main hallway. Got it?"

"The Faculty Office, huh? Hey, maybe we'll find some test questions! Hehe..."

"… Maybe I should go to the Faculty Office, too. It sounds interesting." Akihiko added.

"Are you planning something unscrupulous under my supervision?" Mitsuru asked, not suspicious at all. "If so, then expect to be severely punished..."

"It-It was a joke! I'd never do something like that! Haha..." Junpei panicked.

"Come on, Mitsuru... Lighten up a little."

"Fine, let's head over to the janitor's room. Takeba, I count on you to keep an eye on Iori."

* * *

"Did you find the key?"

Mitsuru, Akihiko and Minato hadn't found it in the Janitor's room, and so were hoping that Yukari and Junpei had found it in the Faculty Office.

"Sure did." Yukari answered, showing off the keys before handing them to the red-haired girl.

"Très bien. We'll divide in teams again. Three of you will enter Tartarus, and one of you will remain outside with me. Once the Dark Hour has begun, I'll determine Yamagishi's position."

"I'll go." Akihiko immediately said.

"Very well, then you shall take the lead, Akihiko. Arisato, you should go as well."

"Um, then I'll be the third--" Yukari began, but was interrupted by Junpei.

"Wait a second! I wanna go too!"

"Oh come on, it doesn't always have to be about you!"

"Alright, Junpei, you come with us." Akihiko stated.

"Sweet! Thanks!"

Yukari didn't look too happy about it.

"What's wrong, Yukari? You don't want to stay behind with Mitsuru?"

"Um, n-no. It's fine." She stuttered.

"It's almost time." Mitsuru reminded them. "Let's get ready."

* * *

"Are you awake?"

"Ugh..."

Minato woke up, his mind fuzzy and feeling numb. 

"Pharos?" He asked, seeing his friend standing next to him, waiting for him to get up. "What are you doing here?"

In response, the boy simply smiled. "Don't worry. Your friends are safe, too. You'll see them soon. But, we don't have much time to talk. Tonight, there is more than one ordeal you must face... You should hurry. She's waiting for you. You guys will need her."

"You mean... The girl who got lost in here? Fuuka Yamagishi?"

"Yeah."

A comfortable silence settled between the two old friends as Minato tried to find his way through the halls of Tartarus.

"Well, I'll go away for now. I hope we can speak again..." Pharos said as he faded.

 **"** **…** **Risato** **... Where are..."** He suddenly heard.

**_'Well, sounds like your friends are having trouble finding you.'_ **

_'What exactly happened, Thanatos?'_

**_'Tartarus appeared right on your faces and you all got separated. I can feel them above, so you should find the stairs.'_ **

_'Alright.'_

Minato walked in silence, hearing Mitsuru's voice cutting in now and then and telling him to go up. Eventually, he finally stumbled upon Akihiko and Junpei, who had found each other in the halls minutes before.

"Hey, here he is!" Junpei shouted upon seeing the blue-haired boy. "Man, we were worried."

"I don't think we should enter Tartarus this way again..." Akihiko confirmed.

**_'No joke. Which of you even thought it was a good idea?'_ **

_'Him, as far as I know.'_

"Oh, yeah! Did you hear a voice while you were in here?" Junpei asked. "Uh, kinda like..."

"Who is this...? Are you human?" A soft voice called.

"There it is! It sounded like it came from behind us..."

As the capped boy said those words, a person's head poked from behind one of the walls, looking confused and scared.

"Are you Fuuka Yamagishi?" Akihiko immediately asked.

Immediately, the green-haired newcomer ran towards them, relieved.

"Wow, you're alive! That's awesome!"

"I'm glad you're okay." Akihiko said. "Come with us."

"Thank you so much! I..." The girl fell to the floor, tears brimming at her cheeks.

"Looks like we made the right decision. I'll see if I can contact Mitsuru."

"Where are we...?" The green-haired girl wondered, looking at Junpei and Minato. "I was at school, and then..."

"Well, it's a long story..." Junpei looked away from her. "We'll explain after we get out of here."

"Mitsuru, can you hear me?" Silence. "No good. All I hear is static."

"Oh, yeah. Are ya hurt?" The capped boy asked Fuuka. "Have you run into any monsters?"

"So there ARE strange creatures in here, then... I've managed to avoid them so far."

"Are you serious? How's that possible?!" Akihiko asked, surprised.

"Umm... It's hard to describe, but I can sort of tell where they are..."

"Whaddya mean? Are ya psychic?"

"She has the same power as Mitsuru..." Akihiko realized. "Maybe even stronger, since Mitsuru's Persona is more battle-oriented." He then handed her an Evoker. "Hang onto this."

"B-But this is...!"

"It doesn't fire anything. Think of it as a lucky charm. Alright, let's get out of here!"

* * *

The group of four were looking for a teleporter pad when they walked by a window, showing the Full Moon, made bigger by the Dark Hour.

"Whoa, check out the Moon!" Junpei shouted. "I've never seen it so bright."

Upon looking at it, Minato felt a pang of an indescribable _something,_ which he knew came from Pharos and, possibly, Thanatos.

"Some research indicates that the Shadows are affected by the phases of the Moon." Akihiko explained.

**_'He_ ** **_ain't_ ** **_wrong, but it's not only Shadows. Well, it is, but not directly...'_ **

_'What are you talking about, Thanatos?'_

**_'Tell_ ** **_ya_ ** **_later.'_ **

"Then again, the same can be said for humans." Akihiko continued.

"That would explain Yuka-tan's mood swings." Junpei joked. "Hey, wasn't it a full moon the night we went on the monorail?"

"… It was also a full moon when the magician attacked the dorm..." Minato added, quietly.

Akihiko suddenly seemed to realize something and reached for his communicator.

"Mitsuru, are you there?!"

**"Akihiko? … Shadows-- …"**

"Hey, can you hear me?! Mitsuru, come in!"

**"Be** **caref** **\--…"**

"Mitsuru?! Hey, Mitsuru!"

Concern appeared on Fuuka's face.

"… What is this thing...?" She wondered out loud. "It's much bigger than the others... And it's attacking someone..."

"Dammit!" Akihiko cursed. 

"W-What's going on?!"

 ** _'There's two_** ** _big ones down there.'_** Thanatos told Minato. **_'_** ** _I_** ** _t's like that one in the train, except there's two_** ** _and they're already attacking people. Those two that stayed behind.'_**

"It's one of THEM! If my guess is right, they come every full moon!" Akihiko realized. "We have to hurry!"

The group of four took off running, desperately looking for a teleporter pad.

* * *

"W-What in the world?!" Fuuka shrieked as the four of them arrived in the lobby.

"There's two of 'em?!" Akihiko was startled. "Mitsuru!" He shouted, seeing her in the grasp of one of the Shadows.

"None of our attacks were working!" Yukari shouted. 

"Oh shit, they look pissed!" Junpei cursed.

As they prepared for a fight, a slowly walked in the Tower, eyes glazed over and dull. Minato didn't recognize her, but it seemed the others did.

"Hey, isn't that--?" Junpei said as he saw her.

"Why the hell is she here?!" Akihiko asked.

"F-Fuuka..." The girl muttered, walking closer to danger.

"M-Moriyama-san?!" Fuuka panicked.

"Wait! What are you doing?!" Akihiko yelled as he saw her run towards the other girl.

"Please, Moriyama-san, get out of here! It's dangerous!"

**_'That idiot's_ ** **_gonna_ ** **_get herself killed at this pace.'_ **

_'I know that, but if I try to go I'm pretty sure Akihiko and Junpei will stop me!'_

"I... I wanted to tell you... I'm sorry, Fuuka..." The popular girl balbutiated, as the Shadows set in movement.

Fuuka brandished her evoker.

"Wait, that's not a weapon!" The resident boxer shouted.

 **"I know..."** Fuuka stated, her voice distorted, as if echoing.

As she reached the barrel of the cannon to her temples and fired, the shadow – _Empress,_ Thanatos would call it – threw a blow towards the girls' way, but was interrupted by the appearance of a Persona that sent both Shadows to the ground.

The Persona was quite beautiful – a sphere of water surmounted by the shape of a woman, eye closed and arms spread in prayer.

Within the Persona, Fuuka and Moriyama were safe.

Immediately, Akihiko and Junpei rushed to the other two girl's sides – Mitsuru and Yukari, respectively.

"Mitsuru?!"

"... I'm alright. Be careful. Normal attacks won't work on these shadows. And all of our instruments have been destroyed..."

"Just stay still! Besides..."

 **"… I can see..."** Fuuka's voice echoed. **"I... I can sense these monsters' weaknesses, somehow..."**

"For real?!"

"Just as I thought... Mitsuru, let her take your place." Akihiko recommended. 

"… I get it now. Yamagishi, can you assist the others?" The red-haired girl asked.

**"I'll do my best!"**

Immediately, Akihiko, Junpei and Minato prepared for a fight, weapons in hand. 

"Yamagishi, can you figure out if any of them resists physical attacks?" Akihiko commanded.

"I'm on it!"

"Junpei, you and I are on the tall one. Minato, you try and focus the smaller one down!"

"Gotcha!"

"Got it."

Minato ran for the Shadow, sword in hand, and hit it face front. Immediately, it fell to the ground.

"This one's weak to physical attacks!" He shouted, knowing he had to communicate.

"Alright!" Akihiko shouted in return, summoning Polydeuces to strike the other shadow down with a zio spell. It seemed to work quite well, as it also collapsed.

"Let's go!" The boxer shouted, as all three went for an all-out attack. They backed off as the shadows got off the ground, and suddenly...

 **"Hold your attacks! Their properties have changed!"** Fuuka shouted. 

The tall shadow decided to attack, walking close and bringing its massive sword down onto Junpei. 

"O-Oh that's gonna suck!" The capped boy shouted, realizing it was too late too run. He tried to grab his evoker, but in his panic he failed to find it.

As Minato saw what was happening, he reacted as fast as he could: 

_"THANATOS!"_ He shouted, hoping that the Persona would make it in time.

Junpei thought his days had ended, but when he saw the other sword blocking the one coming for his face he had never been more relieved. Thanatos roared and pushed the Shadow back, letting it tumble on the floor.

"W-Woah... Thanks for the save, dude!" Junpei said, flabbergasted but relieved.

_'Keep going, Thanatos!'_

Said Persona followed the pushback up with cleaving straight through the Shadow's – _Emperor_ \- mask, letting the foe collapse to dust from the sheer strength behind the attack.

 **"The other one is weak to spells!"** Fuuka shouted.

Akihiko and Junpei were quick to throw their respective spells, Zio and Agi, onto the remaining shadow, knocking it down and killing it.

"Well that was something..." Junpei sighed, adrenaline still coursing through him.

"That was a good save earlier, Arisato." Akihiko complimented, as Minato struggled to realize that he had actually saved his fr- saved Junpei.

 **"A-Are there more of these?"** Fuuka asked, still within her Persona's protection.

"Don't worry, it's over." The boxer reassured.

**"B-But I still feel one!"**

**_'Oh woops, she might be feeling the kid's presence.'_** Thanatos noted.

 **"W-Who said that?!"** Fuuka asked, looking scared.

_'Hold on- Don't tell me she can...'_

**_'You can hear me?'_** Thanatos asked, though not to Minato.

 **"Who are you...?"** Fuuka asked, confusing the rest of SEES.

"What are you hearing, Yamagishi?" Mitsuru asked.

**"I still feel a shadow... And I hear a voice, but I don't know where it's from!"**

**_'_ ** **_Of course_ ** **_you don't, I'm not exactly physically present right now.'_ **

**"W-What do you mean?!"**

"What's it saying?" Akihiko looked confused.

 ** _'Should I actually show myself?'_** Thanatos asked Minato, this time.

_'Do what you want, but you're dealing with the consequences.'_

**_'Alright, alright... I'll show myself, since you're so curious.'_ **

**"E-Eh?"** Fuuka looked surprised.

Thanatos appeared, slowly, and Minato immediately looked away from the group.

 **"B-But aren't you...** **Arisato** **-san's Persona?"** She asked.

"You mean that's what you've been hearing?!" Junpei asked, as the looks of the SEES members were turned Minato's way.

 ** _'Yeah, I'm his Persona. Can I go back now?'_** Thanatos asked, but Fuuka didn't even have the time to answer that he was already gone.

"… How can you hear him?" Minato asked softly. "No one ever heard him before."

"You mean that this is not the first time, Arisato?" Mitsuru inquired.

"...No. It's just not something I talk about."

The red-haired girl looked around, then decided.

"Let's go back to the dorm. Yamagishi and Moriyama need rest, as I believe we all do. But we will talk about this later, Arisato. Withholding information such as this is not a good thing."

"… Alright."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was funnnn to write  
> hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, really


	5. Untold Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story goes on, and Yukari learns things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is probably full of formatting issues, blame Ao3  
> Please do tell me if you notice any of these or typos, so I may correct them

**Chapter** **5:** **Untold Secrets**

_If_ _Minato was ever asked to describe his soul, he'd say it is made of three parts._

_The first, and most important, would be Death. He wasn't sure why he'd put it first, but he would anyway. Then again, Death was made of two parts – The part_ _that had_ _become_ him _, the Persona that wasn't Minato, but wasn’t Death either. The second part of Death was Pharos, the child who remembered naught, his memories carried away on azure wings._

_The second part of Minato's soul would be himself. The uncaring, unreachable boy who walked through life like one walks their way to school –_ _an_ _usual, repetitive thing that one just wants to see done._

_The third part was something he would consider buried and long forgotten. A shard of will and power, combined with a deep yearning for bonds of friendship._

_If he had to name that part, he'd say Orpheus._

* * *

"You're saying that you've been able to talk with your Persona since you've awakened?"

"… Yeah."

"If I may ask, did you awaken under special conditions?"

"… No."

"Could you... Tell us how you awakened? When?"

"I think I was about eight... A shadow attacked me during the Dark Hour, and the next thing I knew..."

Minato was sitting on the Command Room's couch, being questioned by Mitsuru, Akihiko and the Chairman, Ikutsuki.

"How did you summon i- him without an evoker?"

"Don't know."

He was looking straight at the floor, refusing to meet their gaze, afraid of them being judgemental.

"If I may ask, Arisato, what were you doing outside by yourself, during the Dark Hour at that, at the age of eight?" Ikutsuki asked.

Minato visibly stiffened.

"I... Ran away from the orphanage."

"You're an orphan?" Akihiko looked surprised.

"… They died when I was seven."

"I am truly sorry to hear that." Ikutsuki said, adjusting his glasses. "Now, back onto our main subject. Why didn't you tell us that you are able to communicate with your Persona... Thanatos, was it?"

Minato nodded. "I just... Didn't feel the need to tell anyone."

"But such an information could be crucial to better our knowledge of the Dark Hour! You're the first case of communication with a Persona, you know?"

"…" The blue-haired didn't respond, his gaze still fixated on the floor.

"Arisato." Mitsuru spoke, slowly. "Is there anything else you haven't told us?"

_Oh, how about how I got Death itself sealed into my guts? How about how all of the people that get close to me die, and most of the time painfully so? How I stopped ever hoping for a lasting friendship because everyone DIED? How the only people close to me are an amnesic child that doesn't exist and a Persona? How the Persona I use isn't even my actual o-_

**_'Minato.'_ **

_'What?'_

**_'You've been staring at the floor without speaking for a whole minute. They're getting suspicious.'_ **

Immediately, he blinked, his glazed eyes lighting up again. He still didn't carry his eyes to theirs, but at least he didn't look as lost in thoughts.

"We'll give you some time if you need it, but if it's something important, then you must tell us." Mitsuru explained.

"Alright... Thank you." Minato spoke softly, then left. As he went back to his room, he laid on his bed and just stared at the ceiling, deep in thought.

A few minutes later, a knock on his door interrupted his musings.

"Minato, are you there?" He recognized Akihiko's voice through the door. Slowly getting up, he went and opened the door.

"Akihiko-senpai? What do you want?"

* * *

And that is how, a few minutes later, Minato found himself eating ramen at Hagakure's, accompanied by Akihiko.

"… Why did you invite me here, senpai?"

"I know how it feels to be interrogated by Mitsuru, so I thought I'd cheer you up a bit."

Minato took a moment to think, then said: "… Thank you."

They ate mostly in silence, until Akihiko finally decided to speak.

"So... You're an orphan too, huh?"

At that, Minato looked a bit surprised.

"You've lost your parents too, senpai?"

"Yeah. I ended up at the orphanage with my little sister."

"Sister?" The blue-haired boy wondered. He didn't know what it felt like to have siblings.

"Yeah." 

Understanding why the response was so short, Minato remained quiet. 

"How did your parents die?" Akihiko asked, rather bluntly.

"Car accident."

"Oh."

"Yours?"

"I don't even know, actually. I don't remember them."

Minato took a moment to think, then asked:

"Is it better to not remember them?"

Akihiko looked genuinely bothered by the question.

"I don't know. Remembering would mean I could actually mourn for them."

"I see."

An awkward silence settled between the two.

"Say, Minato. Why did you come to this town?"

"I don't know." The boy answered.

He lied.

* * *

_"Hey, Minato?" Pharos asked, one night amongst others._

_"What?"_

_"I have... A_ _favour_ _to ask of you."_

* * *

_11_ _ th _ _of June, 2009 – After school_

_"Come to the Command Room as soon as you get back."_ \- Was the message Minato had received, telling him that Fuuka had been released from the hospital and would get taught about the Dark Hour.

And as soon as everyone was gathered, the meeting began.

"You're Fuuka Yamagishi, right?" The Chairman, Ikutsuki, inquired. 

"Y-yes." The green-haired girl confirmed.

"Relax." The Chairman chuckled. "There's no need to be nervous. Why don't you have a seat?"

**_'Y'know, I wonder if she can hear me without her Persona.'_ **

_'Judging from her lack of reaction, doesn't look like she can.'_

"Now, everyone, you did an excellent job uncovering the truth. I also wanted to let you know... The three girls that were found on front of the school have all regained their consciousness."

"What a relief..." Fuuka said.

"From what I understand, they each came to school around midnight and waited for the security guard to leave. They were attacked by Shadows near the gate as the Dark Hour began, however the facts became twisted because of rumours concerning a ghost story." 

"I always knew it wasn't a ghost." Yukari affirmed.

"It's all my fault..." Fuuka thought out loud. 

"Are you kidding?! You were the victim!"

"But I made so many people worry..."

_'Why would she be sorry for something like that?'_

**_'_ ** **_Dunno_ ** **_. You humans are weird.'_ **

"Hey, don't think like that..."

"We could have lost that fight if you weren't there." Mitsuru stated. "You saved our lives. You should feel good about yourself. You have a special power that you can use to help others."

"A special power...?" Fuuka mused.

"We call it Persona. You could be a tremendous help to us. Will you lend us your strength?"

"Are you asking me to join you...? Mitsuru-senpai..."

"You know, we're not trying to pressure you," Yukari reassured the green-haired girl. "So if you need some time to think about it..."

"I'll do it." The Scanner-type Persona user asserted. "I'll help you!"

"A-Are you sure?! If you join, you'll have to live here..."

"That's fine... I'd rather live here than at home anyway..."

"We really appreciate it." Mitsuru said after a short while. "We'll have the school talk with your parents, to resolve any issues."

"T-Thank you, senpai."

"Wait a minute." Yukari interrupted. "Aren't we dragging her into this a bit too fast?"

"Um, it's okay, really..."

"Now, then..." Ikutsuki began. "Those special Shadows showed up again. We still don't know where they're coming from. But Akihiko is right on one thing: Their appearances seem to coincide with the Full Moon. We'll take that into consideration from now on."

"So, they're kinda like werewolves then, huh?" Junpei joked.

"It’s a big advantage for us to know when to expect them." Akihiko added. "Now, on the days of the fights, we'll be ready to get in the ring."

"Très bien! You are all free to go. Fuuka, could you stay? I have a few things to ask you."

"A-Alright."

Mitsuru waited bit for everyone else to clear out, before asking Fuuka in a hushed tone:

"Could you keep an eye on Arisato?"

"H-Huh? You're asking me to..."

* * *

_12_ _ th _ _of June, 2009 – Dark Hour_

"So you've prevailed yet again."

Minato opened his eyes to see his oldest friend sitting by the side of his bed.

"But it's funny... How you hold so much untouched potential."

"Pharos."

"You can feel it, can't you? The power you could grasp if you dared go further. You obtained some from me, too."

"…"

"It's already getting late, so I'll go now. See you next time."

The boy faded again.

* * *

On another side of the dorm, a girl clutched her hands in prayer as the Shadow's presence disappeared.

* * *

_30 th of June, 2009_

"Alright, Koro-chan, give me your paw!"

"Good job, Koro-chan!"

Minato was walking by the dorm, going home after a long day of school, when he found Fuuka and Yukari playing with a dog near the stairs.

"Oh, hi, Minato." The green-haired girl greeted.

"Hey, you're back!" Yukari said cheerfully.

The dog simply looked at him and barked once.

"… What's with the dog?"

"He was just walking down the street."

"Koro-chan, go say hi!" Fuuka requested.

**_'…'_ **

_'…'_

**_'… Can I-'_ **

_'NO.'_

**_'But it's a-'_ **

_'No, Thanatos. You are not petting the dog.'_

**_'But he's so-'_ **

_'NO!'_

As the dog approached, Minato tilted his head and looked at it... Then proceeded to pet the dog, taking time to scratch its ears. The ends of his lips lifted slightly.

 ** _'Why can't I pet the dog if you're allowed to_** ** _?!'_** Thanatos grumbled.

_'You'd scare it!'_

**_'I would not!'_ **

_'_ _Yes_ _you would!'_

**_'Not if I took over your body!'_ **

_'You'd just scare_ _Fuuka_ _and Yukari!'_

**_'Who cares about humans?!'_ **

_'Pharos does!'_

**_'Who cares about the kid?!'_ **

_'WE BOTH DO!'_

"Uh... Minato, are you alright...?" Fuuka asked.

Minato just realized he had been petting the dog for a whole minute and a half while staring off into nothingness.

"Oh, uh... Yeah, I'm fine."

Fuuka smiled. "His name's Koromaru." She added, pointing to the dog. "I've seen him sitting by the steps of the shrine."

Soon, another dog walked by and ran to Koromaru, barking loudly, eventually followed by its owner.

"Oh... This dog still goes on walks all by himself?" The woman who owned the other dog asked.

"Whaddya mean?" Yukari asked.

"He used to belong to the priest at the Naganaki Shrine." She explained. "Every afternoon, the two of them went this way for a walk."

"That explains it..." Fuuka muttered.

"Well, until the priest passed away." 

"He passed away...?"

Minato shivered.

"Oh, you haven't heard the story? It was about six months ago... The priest was hit by a car while walking his dog. He didn't survive. Ever since then, that dog sits patiently by the site of the accident."

**_'… Pet the dog some more or I'll do it myself.'_ **

* * *

"Hello, everyone." Ikutsuki greeted. "I wanted to let you know how my research has been going." He paused briefly. "This concerns those Shadows that have been appearing during full Moons. I want you to follow closely; it might be hard to follow. Shadows can be divided into twelve categories, according to-"

"Thirteen." Minato interrupted.

"Huh?"

"There are thirteen categories of Shadows."

"Now that is interesting, what makes you think so?"

"Thanatos. He says there are thirteen."

"Alright, then. So, the Shadows can be divided into thirteen-" He glanced at Minato. "-categories, according to their characteristics. This, we've known – Or thought we did, it seems – for a while. It's like their class or order."

**_'And a strength scale,_ ** **_hehe_ ** **_.'_ **

_'Be quiet, I'm listening._

"Now, I've classified the special Shadows we have encountered so far, and it's simply fascinating!"

"… And...?" Yukari finally asked, as Ikutsuki took his sweet time.

"Oh, sorry... Ahem. Those four Shadows belonged to categories one through four, in order of their appearances! They may have looked different than the more common ones, but the classification scheme still applies."

"Is that something we should be excited about?" Junpei wondered.

"Oh, I get it..." Fuuka said. "There's thirteen in all... Nine we haven't seen yet."

"Actually, our studies indicate that there only are twelve overall, no matter how many categories actually exist."

**_'Liar.'_ **

_'Maybe he just doesn't know, Thanatos.'_

"Oh, uh, okay, but what are they after?" Junpei asked.

"That's a good question, and that's what we haven't figured out yet: Their motives."

**_'…'_ **

_'…'_

"They don't kill their preys: They feed on their minds. It can be considered predation, but is it really? Is there an underlying intent behind their behaviour? The purpose of the Shadows as a whole... That's what we need to consider."

"… This is interesting." Akihiko decided. "But no matter what, we still have to beat up the rest of 'em."

"I agree." Mitsuru completed. "That's about all we can do at this point."

"Eight more, huh? Lucky us!" Yukari said.

"According to the data, each one has been stronger than the last, so we better start training harder..." Fuuka hesitantly added.

"We'll manage. We've got plenty of time." The boxer answered.

"What about Tartarus, though? Why does it even exist...?" Yukari wondered out loud.

**_'_ ** **_Wanna_ ** **_tell them about that?'_ **

_'No.'_

**_'Your choice.'_ **

_'They'd freak out if they learned about Death._ _Ikutsuki_ _didn't look too happy about the Death arcana in the first place... Do they even know the actual names of the categories?'_

**_'Probably not. I don't think there's a way they could've learned them.'_ **

_'… Alright.'_

* * *

_1_ _ st _ _of July_ _, 2009 – Dark Hour_

Less than one week before the next big Shadow, another warning from Pharos, and yet Minato couldn't sleep at all. Every time he tried to close his eyes, he opened them again a matter of minutes later without a blink of sleep. 

_'Thanatos?'_

**_'What?'_ **

_'Do you think we'd get caught if I went to Tartarus by myself?'_

**_'You feel it too then?'_ **

_'Yeah. It's like I_ _just_ _slept for three days straight, I can't rest at all.'_

**_'Then let's go! We don't need anyone to hunt Shadows!'_** The Persona roared. 

A minute later, the window was wide open and Minato was gone.

* * *

An almost-maddened laughter echoed through the lower halls of Tartarus as Minato and Thanatos plowed their way through the Shadows' ranks. They had picked to stay in the lower levels they had access to, as to avoid getting any noticeable wound. 

Minato rejoiced as he felt the euphoria coursing through both Thanatos and himself. He had been very careful not to let himself get carried away around other people, both to keep properly to himself and to not actually harm any of them, but now that it was only he and himself he could let loose as much as he wanted. 

Adrenaline was rushing through his veins, accelerating his movements and forcing a not-so-sane grin on his face. Destroying Shadows as he and Thanatos were doing was somewhat addictive, and even more so for the Persona due to its nature as a Hunter – _Hunter of All that Lives,_ to be precise. Thanatos was a predator, and anything that breathed was a potential prey – Actually, even things that did not breathe.

Minato knew that the fact that the Moon was nearly full spurred Thanatos on – And in turn, him as well. They were too deeply connected for it to effect one without the other, after all. He had known that the Moon's influence reached Thanatos for years now, but it recently worsened, making this solo Tartarus run quite relieving. It was only when he heard the clicking of chains that he realized that he should get moving.

He didn't need to tell Thanatos – In the joy of the slaughter, they were too closely connected for words to be needed. The two rushed off to the next row of stairs, Minato not bothering to recall his Persona to himself. 

As they reached the next floor, their bloody dance began again, splattering Shadow blood all over the floor and walls. They didn't care, they were enjoying themselves far too much to care. And so when the Dark Hour grew close to its end, Minato was harshly brought back to reality by Pharos' call, his friend not wanting him to get stuck in the cursed halls of the Tower of Demise.

Minato returned to the dorms, hoping to have remained unnoticed.

He slept soundly afterwards.

* * *

_7_ _ th _ _of July, 2009 – Dark Hour_

The Full Moon had risen once again, and Minato was once again restless, barely a week after his Tartarus rundown.

Yet still, he gathered with SEES as they prepared for a bigger fight.

"Any luck, Fuuka?" Akihiko asked, as the green-haired girl scoured the town for the Full Moon Shadow.

"… Just a moment... I found it! I sense a strong presence!"

"Hey, we were right!" Junpei looked surprised.

"Or so it would seem." Ikutsuki stated.

"It's located in Iwatodai... Inside a building on Shirakawa Boulevard."

"Hmm, Shirakawa Boulevard... They've been finding the Lost in pairs lately... Now I understand why."

"In pairs..." Mitsuru paused. "… Oh. I get it."

"Why, what's on Shirakawa Boulevard? I'm not familiar with that area..." Fuuka, oh-so innocent Fuuka, wondered.

"I've heard about it, but..." Yukari muttered. 

"That's where THOSE Hotels are!" Junpei almost shouted. "That explains a lot! You've heard about 'em, right, Fuuka? Where people go to... Ya know..."

"Nonsense..." Ikutsuki interrupted. "They're no different than ordinary hotels. The rooms are a bit fancier, that's all."

"Aw man, that's it?" The capped boy almost looked disappointed.

"I don't know about this... Maybe I shouldn't go..." Yukari stated.

"You're just like a little kid, Yuka-tan..."

"W-Whatever! Fine. Let's go. But this time, I want a piece of the action!" She claimed. "So, who's gonna take the lead?"

"I don't see any reason to change leader now." Mitsuru said. "And Yamagishi, I want you to handle support during the operation."

"I'll do my best!" The green-haired girl was confident.

"Alright, then I'll pick the team." Akihiko decided. "Yukari, Junpei, Minato, with me."

* * *

"Why here, of all places...?" Yukari muttered, looking disgusted as the group walked in one of the rooms, which contained the Shadow.

 ** _'The Hierophant.'_** Thanatos said, uncaring about being heard by Fuuka.

"Well, let's get this over with!" Yukari shouted, aiming and shooting the shadow.

The battle was truly not a long one – The group first started with regular attacks, but as soon as Personas were summoned, the Shadow could do nothing more than attempt to defend itself. Now and then, it would wail and scare off the attackers, but as soon as they got over it, the Shadow fell and faded to nothingness.

**"Good job. You succeeded once again. I'll be waiting outside for you."**

**_'Stay on the watch.'_** Thanatos ordered Minato. **_'Something's still wrong.'_**

 **"Huh-? You're right!"** Fuuka was the one to answer. **"I still sense a Shadow in that room! It's not the same one you defeated! But... Where is it hiding?"**

_'Should be Lovers now, right?'_

**_'Yeah. Expect it to be annoying.'_ **

They spent a few minutes looking around the room, when finally, Yukari noticed something.

"Huh... Is it just me, or is there something strange about this mirror?"

She reached and touched it, and...

* * *

_'_ _Embrace your des-'_

**_'_ ** **_WOU_ ** **_LD THAT THING JUST SHUT UP?!'_ **

Thanatos' sudden shout brought Minato back to reality. He blinked his eyes open and looked around, to find himself in one of the rooms of the hotel, by himself.

_'Where...?'_

**"-** **Ryone** **! Can anyone hear me?!"**

**_'Well, there she is.'_ **

**"That voice—Thanatos! Is Minato alright?!"**

**_'Yes, yes he is. Can't say the same about your little friends, though!'_ **

**"What happened?"**

**_'_ ** **_Dunno_ ** **_, but probably split across this place.'_ **

**"A-Alright. Do you think Minato and you could go find them?"**

**_'What do you think we were going to do in the first place?'_ **

_'Thanatos, what exactly happened?'_

**_'Not sure. I think your friends got controlled by the Lovers Shadow.'_ **

_'And I'm not controlled right now because...?'_

**_'Me.'_ **

_'Well, thank you then. Do you know where the others are?'_

"I'm on my way, Fuuka. Do you think you could locate the others?"

**"I can't detect them for some reason. I'm sorry, you'll have to look for them by yourself. The enemy is still in the same room, so please, regroup and hurry there."**

"Alright."

Minato walked around the building, killing the few shadows that crossed his way. They weren't much struggle, but he still had to call upon Thanatos quite often.

 **"Oh! The Shadow somehow sealed the door to its room, so I don't think you'll be able to get** **in."** Fuuka figured. **"I'll try to find out if there's a way to break the seal... Oh, that voice! Yukari, are you okay? … You're with Junpei? Alright! Minato, they're on the floor above!"**

 ** _'Hold on a second. There's something in the room right next to you.'_** Thanatos called.

Minato took that as his cue to step into said room, and saw nothing more than two coffins and...

_'Thanatos, wasn't it a mirror that triggered the Shadow's powers?'_

**_'Think so.'_ **

**"Huh? Have you found something, Minato?"**

"I think, at least." He answered, walking closer to the mirror. Brandishing his sword, he slammed it against the mirror, which shattered. Minato heard a whimper-like sound, and saw energy leaving the broken glass.

_'Well, looks like you were right.'_

"Fuuka, could you see if anything has changed with the seal on the door?"

**"Give me a second... Oh, it has weakened! What did you do?"**

"The mirrors. We have to break them."

**"A-Alright! Yukari, Junpei- Oh, Akihiko-senpai, there you are! You have to break the mirrors, they're what's keeping you from reaching the Shadow!"**

* * *

The group of four had gathered up once again, and other than Junpei having a suspicious red mark on his cheek and finding the second mirror, nothing had happened. They were on the way towards the room where the Shadow was supposed to be, all ready for a fight.

They walked in to find it – And there it was, not hidden anymore and vulnerable to their assault.

**_'That thing's ugly.'_ **

_'Thank_ _you Thanatos_ _, but I noticed by myself.'_

"Because of that thing, I had to come to this disgusting place..." Yukari muttered angrily. "Now, you're gonna pay!"

The fight was also a short one – Finding the Shadow had been much harder than beating it down. They came out of the grotesque hotel minutes later, awaited by Fuuka and Mitsuru.

"I'm glad you're all safe." The green-haired girl greeted, dismissing her Persona.

"Thanks to your help, Yamagishi. The enemy was sly, but you did well."

"I did what I could."

"Alright, let's call it a night." Akihiko said. 

Minato walked back to the dorm, purposefully ignoring Yukari and Fuuka's conversation.

* * *

 ** _'Hold on a second.'_** Thanatos suddenly called.

_'What's wrong?'_

**_'We're being watched. Be careful.'_ **

_'… Who?'_

**_'Don't know. They probably have Personas, though,_ ** **_cause_ ** **_I feel two plumes of Dusk._ ** **_So_ ** **_weak... The same kind as your friends' evokers.'_ **

_'Can you keep an eye on these people?'_

**_'I shall.'_ **

* * *

_11_ _ th _ _of July, 2009 – Evening_

Mitsuru finished recounting the events of the previous full moon to Ikutsuki. The entirety of SEES had gathered up in the Command Room, to the Chairman's demand, and were now waiting for him to announce why he had wanted to talk to them.

"I see. So they are getting tougher... But it's not all bad news. I called today's meeting because--"

"I'm sorry, but I'll have to interrupt." Yukari suddenly said. "Before we go on, I'd like to ask Mitsuru-senpai something."

"Me...?"

"Since I joined, many things have happened... I went along with it, without really understanding what was going on. But now, I need to know. I'm gonna ask you straight out... You've been hiding something from us, haven't you? You act like you don't know anything about the Dark Hour and Tartarus... But they're related to that accident from ten years ago, aren't they?"

Mitsuru looked visibly bothered, and Minato visibly twitched upon hearing Yukari's words.

"What accident...?" Junpei wondered. 

"There was an explosion near our school, and a lot of people died..."

**_'Oh, I remember that.'_ **

_'…'_

"It must've been big news back then. You know about it, don't you?"

There was silence, and then Mitsuru finally spoke.

"… Yes."

Minato's fist clenched, and Yukari tensed.

"Luckily, no students were injured, but... Around the same time, a large number of students were recorded as absent. Seems like more than just a coincidence..."

"What do you mean?"

"I dug up some old school records, and found something interesting. The students who were absent... They all collapsed suddenly, and had to be hospitalized."

**_'That was...'_ **

_'When Pharos broke apart, right?'_

**_'Yes.'_ **

"Sounds familiar? You know, like the girls that bullied Fuuka... There has to be an explanation! What really happened on the day of the accident? The Kirijo group built our school, so you must know something! Tell me the truth, Kirijo-senpai!"

"… I wasn't trying to hide anything from you. It just never seemed relevant. But..."

"It's okay." Ikutsuki began. "It's not your fault."

"… Alright. I'll tell you the whole story. The Shadow have many mysterious abilities. Some research indicates that they can affect time and space. We think of them as our enemies, but what if we could somehow use them to our advantage? They would be a source of unimaginable power, wouldn't they?"

**_'… Don't tell me that those fools-'_ **

"What...?" Yukari was flabbergasted.

"Fourteen years ago, one man pursued that line of thinking... He was the former leader of the Kirijo Group, Kouetsu Kirijo. My Grandfather... He was obsessed with Shadows. He wanted to harness their power, and create something extraordinary."

"Harness... Their power...?" Fuuka wondered. 

"He assembled a team of scientists, and over several years, collected a significant number of shadows."

"He what?! That's freaking crazy!"

"However... Ten years ago, during the final stages of the experiment, they lost control of the Shadows' power. Consequently, the nature of the world was altered."

"You mean..."

"Yes. Tartarus and the Dark Hour. By their account, the mass of Shadows split into several large ones that then dispersed. These are the Shadows we have been encountering on nights when the Moon is full."

"Wait a minute... If what you said is true, then why did our school turn into Tartarus? Don't tell me... That's where they've been conduction the experiments?!"

"... Yes." Mitsuru confirmed.

"Then... Those students who were hospitalized..."

"I'm afraid it's just as you're thinking. Port Island must've been an ideal location for them. It was a highly-populated area, and the Kirijo Group had influence there. They could do as they pleased... As you guessed, the experiment ten years ago was conducted at Gekkoukan High School."

"Does that mean... All we've been doing is cleaning up their mess?!"

**_'See, this is why I'm glad not to be human.'_ **

_'…'_

"… You lied to us?" She directed her glare towards Akihiko. "You knew too, didn't you, Senpai?! They've just been using us! Or do you not care so long as you get to fight?!"

**_'I don't want to know how she'd react if she learned why_ ** **we** **_fight.'_ **

_'At least we have a good reason.'_

"That's not true." The silver-haired boxer retorted. "I have my reasons..." 

"Think what you'd like... It was my decision not to share that information." Mitsuru added. "… I'm sorry. I never intended to deceive you. Convincing you to join SEES was my highest priority. As absurd as it may seem, only we - with our Personas – can fight the Shadows."

"How could you?!"

"Besides... Some of us were never given a choice. I..."

"Mitsuru... Don't."

"Yukari..." Ikutsuki said. "It's those in the past who are to blame. And they lost their lives as a result of what they did. We're all in the same boat here; none of us deserve the burden that's been thrust upon us."

"But..."

**_'Convincing words, from a liar.'_ **

"It's been ten years since that incident. No one knows why those Shadows suddenly returned."

**_'Well, 'no one' is exaggerated.'_ **

_'Thanatos. They can't know.'_

"But since they are active, at least we can find them and destroy them. Do you realize what this means?" 

There was silence.

"What if I told you that those twelve Shadows are the cause of everything?"

"Then, if we defeat them all, Tartarus and the Dark Hour would disappear?" Akihiko guessed.

"Exactly! That's what I was going to tell you earlier. See, it's good news, isn't it?"

"I-Is that true?!" Fuuka looked disbelieving.

"There's evidence to support it. Now, our true battle begins."

**_'Evidence, huh? Even though it isn't true.'_ **

_'…'_

"Regardless of what happened in the past, we must fight to protect the people. The Shadows are gaining strength. We can't afford to just wait for them. And there are many mysteries still surrounding Tartarus. Why did such a gigantic structure appear in the first place? The answer must lie within it."

**_'Heh, not entirely wrong. Well, she's actually above it, but the top of the Tower's closer.'_ **

_'I feel... Guilty. For not telling them the truth.'_

**_'They'll know... Someday.'_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More Thanatos! I just had to have him be fond of pets.


	6. A Sinking Feeling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minato does not like the beach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOOOO Apparently y'all like Ryoji so Ryoji it is.
> 
> (I feel so bad for Minato now. I blame y'all.)
> 
> New poll at the end of the chapter because eh
> 
> Also feel free to tell me if there's a mistake or bad punctuation or stuff, english isnt my first language (french eyooo) and i'm just sitting her shouting at AO3 formatting.

**Chapter** **6:** **A sinking feeling**

_It was like that every time._

_Whenever someone's final rest was approaching, he would get that feeling – A feeling that made him, deep in his guts, feel like he was sinking and sinking and_ drowning. _And it would only fade upon seeing the fresh corpse of whoever he held dear._

_The first time, he hadn't understood and thought it was just an episode after his parents' deaths._

_The second time, a lingering doubt had settled._

_Afterwards, he understood._

_It was his curse,_ _after_ _all, to see all he held dear collapse and fade. Snuffed like a fire under strong rain. Except he was the rain and the fire_ _was_ _all whom he held dear, as well as his own wish for people he belonged with._

_Eventually, that wish dulled. Deep within his heart and soul, a part of him still cried for close, tight bonds, but he ignored it. Even through the sweet whispers of power brought by closeness._

_He had made such a bond, once. In fact, he had made it twice. One of them held strong, even then. That one would never fa_ _d_ _e because its other end would always be with him._

_The second one? Its other end died two months after meeting him._ _So_ _he gave up on the idea._

_He remembered the name the blue people he had met had given him: A Wild Card, the one with a long nose had said. One who uses the power of friendship and close bonds to become stronger._

_He couldn't use that. Because it always ended the same way, with that sinking feeling that constantly reminded him of everyone's upcoming doom._

_His World wouldn't ever exist._

* * *

_12_ _ th _ _of July, 2009 – Dark Hour_

"Good evening."

Minato sat up immediately, directing his gaze towards his old friend.

"Hey, Pharos."

"Hey, Minato. How have you been since last time?"

"You already know that, Pharos. Why are you asking?"

"Please, answer me."

"… I feel kind of... Guilty."

"For not telling them about the Shadows?"

"… Yeah."

"It's your choice. I never said you couldn't tell them."

"I know, but... I don't think they'd believe me anyway."

"Would you rather have them find out by themselves? Like they did with Thanatos?"

 ** _'Don't bring me into this, kid.'_** The Persona said.

"… Sorry, Pharos. I just... I don't want anyone else to know about you. I'm..." Minato began.

 _Selfish,_ was the word he thought, but he didn't let himself linger on it. 

"It's alright. I'll get to know them once we reach our objective, anyway." The boy smiled, that warm smile only he knew how to do.

"Soon, Pharos. Soon, you'll be whole again. I promise."

* * *

_20_ _ th _ _of July, 2009 – Morning_

Yakushima.

Of all damn places, they had to pick a beach.

And they only warned him the previous day – Probably so he couldn't back out.

Through the whole boat ride, he sat in his own corner, music blasting loud in his ears and eyes closed. 

Even though it was unbearably hot outside, a shiver had crept up his spine and remained since he could see land. It bothered him, and he was even more bothered when Thanatos told him it came from him and not Minato.

SEES – including the blue-haired boy, this time – passed quickly by the Kirijo manor on the island before Junpei urged them to go to the beach. 

Half of them didn't feel like going straight away, but the capped boy was insistent, and so Mitsuru gave in, which meant that none of them had a choice but to go to the beach. 

The moment he stepped on the warm sand, the feeling he had on the boat surged once again, stronger. He couldn't describe it, as he knew it wasn't his, but when questioned, Thanatos said;

**_'It reminds me of ten years ago.'_ **

It was not a good sign to Minato.

* * *

"So... Which one's your type?"

Junpei had asked out of the blue, after seeing the three girls on the beach. In response, Minato shot him a blank look.

"Come on, dude! I'm sure one of them caught your eye!" He turned back to the girls. "Man, this is great! I'm in Heaven!"

If that was supposed to be Heaven, then he'd very much prefer to stay home.

"How about a swim?!" Junpei asked, before sing-songing and running towards the water, followed by Akihiko.

Minato simply looked around, and would've considered dipping his feet in the water had it not been for the chill he felt. It wasn't cold – The sun was blasting straight on his side, making him wince whenever he turned his head towards it – but he couldn't shake the feeling that he was _being watched._

He felt uneasy.

He was definitely being watched, and in the back of his head, Thanatos growled.

* * *

_20_ _ th _ _of July, 2009 – Evening_

SEES had been called by Mitsuru's father, Takeharu Kirijo, that evening. They hadn't been told why, although the red-haired girl looked as if she knew why.

"From what I understand, Mitsuru has already given you the short version of the events that occurred ten years ago. Well, it's true... We adults are to blame."

Minato's gaze turned from blank to a slight amount of interest, although he attempted to keep it concealed.

"If I could've atoned for it with my life, I would have done so..." Takeharu Kirijo continued. "Now, I have no choice but to rely on you. What my father wanted to create with those monsters' power... Was a time manipulation device."

Minato's eyebrow twitched as Thanatos roared in laughter.

**_'What fools! Who would even think about making something like that?'_ **

"That's what he was trying to do?" Mitsuru hadn't known, either.

 "Imagine if you could control the flow of time... Eliminate unwanted events before they occur. With such a device, you could shape the future to your liking."

**_'No one, nothing can escape time. If anyone went back to alter it, it would set itself back in track... No matter how.'_ **

Although no one but him could hear Thanatos, Minato had to agree that it was a fool's errand.

"Damn, that's insane..." Junpei commented.

"However, under my father's direction, the research began to stray from its original goal." The elder Kirijo pursued. "… In his later years, my father seemed to have only nihilism in his heart. Now that I think about it, his madness may have resulted from his struggle to break free from that... It's only natural that you want to know the truth... And it's my duty to tell you."

As he said that, a projector in the ceiling turned on, its image set on the wall.

“This is the only existing footage of the accident, recorded by a scientist who was at the scene." He explained, before the video began.

_"I pray that this recording reaches safe hands..."_

Immediately, Yukari straightened up.

"That voice?!" She asked, confused.

_"My employer has become obsessed with a loathsome idea... This experiment should never even have been conceived... I'm afraid what I've done will result in an unprecedented disaster... But if I hadn't, the entire world may have paid the price..."_

"The entire world?" Fuuka wondered. 

_"Please, listen carefully... The Shadows that were amassed here have been dispersed as a result of the explosion. To end this nightmare, you must eliminate all of them!"_

**_'That is not what he said.'_ **

_'… Huh? What's wrong, Thanatos?'_

**_'The kid is telling me that this isn't what the scientist said that day. He doesn't remember what exactly it was, but it wasn't... This.'_ **

_"I am to blame for this."_ The video continued. _"I knew the risks, but I was blinded by the promise of success... And so, I didn't raise any objections... It is all my fault."_

"… Dad..." Yukari whispered to herself, bringing SEES' eyes upon herself.

"You mean... That was...?" Fuuka asked. 

Mitsuru turned her gaze towards Takeharu. 

"Father..." 

"His name was Eiichiro Takeba... He was the Head Researcher at the time, and a very talented man. But we are the ones who are responsible. We pushed him to continue the research. The Kirijo group is to blame for his death."

"I... I can't believe it..." Mitsuru admitted, stuttering.

"So that means... My dad caused it all...?" Yukari asked, disbelieving as well. "The Dark Hour... Tartarus... The people who died in that incident... It was all his fault...?"

"… You okay?" Akihiko dared to ask, concerned over his teammate's mental health.

"So that's why you were hiding all this?" Yukari accused. "Because you felt sorry for me?! Is that it?!"

"No, Takeba, I..." Mitsuru tried to explain, but she was interrupted.

"I don't want your pity!" The other girl shouted, before running away. 

After a few tense seconds, Fuuka finally asked;

"Um... Shouldn't someone go after her?"

Mitsuru looked around the room, checking them one by one, before her gaze settled on Akihiko.

"… Fine, I'll go." He said, unsure if he'd be able to truly help the girl.

As the senior student went after Yukari, Minato dove deep in his own thoughts.

_'_ _..._ _You're saying someone would've modified the footage, Thanatos? But why?'_

**_'_ ** **_Dunno_ ** **_. But that would mean someone_ ** **else** **_wants the thirteen shards gathered... Or maybe they're after something else.'_ **

_'Why would anyone else want to fix Pharos... To put Death back together? It doesn't make any sense!'_

**_'Maybe the kid knew other people before you?'_ **

_‘_ _You know how helpless he was when it comes to interacting with people ten years ago, Thanatos. He couldn't possibly have known anyone else before that!'_

**_'Maybe you're right, Minato. But we still don't know any other reason.'_ **

_'… I'll talk to Pharos when we get the next shard.'_

"…ato!"

_Huh?_

"Minato!" 

The blue-haired boy shook his head, forcing himself out of his thoughts.

"Were you talking with Thanatos again?" Fuuka asked him, concern over her features.

"Oh. Uh, yeah."

"Dude, tell us when you do that! It was creepy, seeing you staring at the table like that." Junpei scolded.

"… Alright."

He didn't miss the elder Kirijo's interrogative gaze upon hearing who he had been talking to.

\---

A few minutes later, Junpei went to look for Yukari and Akihiko as they weren't back. Mere seconds later, the three of them had returned, and the short-haired girl looked calmed.

Minato still had shivers.

* * *

_21_ _ st _ _of July, 2009 – Daytime_

The moment Minato set foot on the beach, he felt an urge to go back, to leave this island, and to hide away forever.

There was a time where it would've been out of shame – Not many people went to the beach in a swimming shirt – but no, it was because of Thanatos. He screamed in the back of his mind - **_'There's something dangerous!'_** \- And Minato set himself to look around, doing his best to hide the surge of adrenaline provoked by the Persona. He had to keep himself from shaking.

Thanatos was growling, a deep sound in the back of Minato's psyche that only made him tense more. 

By the time he was done looking at every single living being around in detail to make sure it wouldn't kill him, Junpei had darted off on what he dubbed 'Operation Babe Hunt', quickly followed up by Akihiko who 'couldn't refuse a challenge'.

So he was left alone on the beach, weaponless – _not that he needed that to summon Thanatos –_ and with a potential huge threat around.

Well, that had happened in the past ten years. A few months with a team hadn't made him lose all his solo-fighting habits, quite far from that. He was prepared.

* * *

Junpei and Akihiko’s ‘Operation Babe Hunt’ had not gone well, and the two honestly wished they could forget this day. What they had stumbled upon had been so deeply embarrassing and shameful for them that they wanted nothing more than to scrub their minds clean.

But the operation was not quite done yet, for Junpei had sighted a rare specimen of ‘Young, lonely lady.’ As the two hid – not so discretely – behind a few rocks to observe their new target, they began to devise a plan.

“Talk about saving the best for the last...” Junpei remarked. “Now that’s what I’m talking about! Man, she’s cute!”

“I agree...” Akihiko said, his eyes also set on the girl.

“This is our last chance to make up for our failures.” The capped boy stated. “This time, we go one by one. We’ll have a better shot that way.”

All-out attacks tended not to be too effective against women.

“Sounds like a good plan.” The silver-haired protein addict answered.

“Alright, I’ll go first!” Junpei decided without waiting. He stepped on the wooden deck, and as soon as the girl turned to stare at him he began whistling inconspicuously. 

“H-Hey, how’s it going?” He eventually dared to ask the blonde girl. “I noticed you’ve been, uh, staring at the ocean. So, um... Do you come here often? My name is J-Junpei, by the way.” He stuttered.

“J-Junpei?” The passive girl asked.

“Don’t worry, I-I just want to talk.” He tried. “I mean, it’s more fun than standing here all by yourself, isn’t it?”

“I am looking for a human.” She responded. 

“O-Oh yeah?” Junpei looked confused.

“You are not the one I am looking for.” Was her almost mechanical answer.

In the back, Akihiko had to hold back a nervous laughter.

The capped boy walked backwards for a bit before turning around and running back to his senpai.

“Sh-she’s a tough one, Senpai...”

“Heh, don’t worry about me.” The silver-haired boy answered confidently. He then stood up and went to take his chance at flirting with the blonde woman. 

“Well, hello there. Say, do you like the ocean?”

“Is your question directed at me?” She answered in an interrogative tone.

“Oh, um, yeah. I like the ocean, too.” He misunderstood. “Hey, I heard that the triathletes who train at the beach perform better than those who practice indoors. Makes sense, doesn’t it?”

“That type of information is irrelevant to me.” She responded after a moment.

Akihiko looked hurt for half a second, before walking back towards where the other was ‘hidden’.

“Heh, I won. I talked to her longer than you did.” He finally said.

“It doesn’t matter how long you talked to her!” The other retorted. “... This sucks...”

“Hey, stop crying! You’re making me feel bad... Hey, wait!” Akihiko suddenly asked. “Isn’t that...?”

Junpei followed his gaze and noticed Minato, standing not too far, his eyes wide and fixated upon the girl.

“What, think he can pull it off?” The capped boy asked. “He can’t even talk to _us_ , how do you expect him to...?”

Unsurprisingly, the two had confused Minato’s look for something else.

For in his eyes was not want nor amusement, but pure, unbridled anger and hate.

* * *

**_'That girl is...'_ **

Minato knew who she was, he knew the moment his eyes settled on her. 

He also knew that right then, without a weapon and sixteen days away from the full moon, it was probably a bad idea to attempt to fight her.

Especially with two witnesses.

Thanatos was extremely agitated in the back of his mind, and Minato knew that if he let his defence down for even a moment the Persona could come forth and unleash their rage.

Pharos’ rage, at her being the reason why he was shattered in the first place.

Thanatos’ rage, at her having hurt both his master and the creature he had come from.

Minato’s rage, at her for _everything_ she had caused because she had thought that sealing Death within a child was a good idea.

He – they – knew that anyone stepping close to him would feel the fury seething from him, but he didn’t care. He couldn’t take his eyes off the girl, his fists closed and tightened almost painfully as his nails dug in the skin.

In a single instant, the girl – _the robot that ruined his life –_ turned around, noticed him and raised her hands, ten finger guns now pointed at him with deadly accuracy.

“You are dangerous!” She suddenly shouted, all that could make her seem human gone with a sound of cold steel.

“I think out of all of us, you’re the more dangerous one.” Minato stated, his voice backed with a gruff, rough echo, yet unheard by the other two.

Suddenly, she stiffened - ** _‘Didn’t even know a bucket of bolts could do that’_** \- and spoke again.

“Initiating evasive maneuver. Identity of the target has been confirmed!”

She disappeared in the forest as fast her mechanical legs allowed her to, leaving the two witnesses to run up to Minato.

“Hey, what did you say to make her run away like that?” Junpei asked, seemingly pissed off. “Well, what’re you waiting for?! Go after her!”

“No.” The blue-haired boy simply answered.

“Go tell her you’re sorry!” Junpei insisted. “If you don’t, we’ll all be in trouble! Go on, man. You can catch her if you hurry!”

Thanatos’ constant growling, like that of a beast defending its territory, only told him to either chase the bucket of bolts and destroy it, or to stay as far away from it as he possibly could. 

Yet at the same time, he couldn’t afford to draw suspicious from SEES, and he _knew_ the Kirijo Group had something to do with the robot, so if he destroyed it, he would most likely only award him their anger.

No destroying the life-ruiner today, then. He’d have to wait and see. Although if she did attack him, he wouldn’t really have a choice.

But being able to destroy such a strong machine would draw attention, and he had enough of that with Thanatos already.

So the other option was...

‘ _Pharos said she was_ _functioning_ _thanks to a Plume of Dusk, right?’_

**_‘_ ** **_Think so. Want to try and take it back?’_ **

_‘_ _It’s worth a try. But only if she attacks us.’_

**_‘_ ** **_Gotcha_ ** **_.’_ **

The two devised a plan as they walked through the forest, chasing after that small inkling of a presence nagging at their minds. 

Minato had to admit that the idea that a Plume of Dusk – a shard of _Her –_ was being used by their enemy disgusted him. He held no particular passion towards _Her,_ unlike his dearest friend, only a getting a vague maternal feeling that he couldn’t quite comprehend.

He blamed Pharos for that, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY SO THE NEW POLL IS  
> Smut in this, smut in a separate story, or no smutty at all?


	7. Bucket of Bolts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minato and Aigis meet. Thanatos is unhappy about it, and Aigis gets the shock of her existence.
> 
> May also be, Thanatos loves dogs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was fun to write! I'm sorry it took so long, though. I've been busy recently! Before next chapter, I'll try to get a chapter of By Which All Is Revealed out.  
> (But this one is probably gonna get a chapter before BWAIR because meh)

**Chapter** ******7:** **Bucket** **of** **Bolts**  

**_‘_** ** _Minato_** ** _,_** ** _you_** **_really_** **_need_** ** _to_** ** _learn_** ** _how to_** ** _fight_** ** _.’_**  

 _‘_ _Why_ _?_ _You’re_ _always_ _here_ _to_ _protect_ _me, Thanatos.’_  

 _He_ _had_ _been_ _nine_ _. It_ _had_ _been_ _two_ _years_ _since_ _that_ _fateful_ _night, and the only people he could still trust were Pharos, the only child that could stand near him, and Thanatos, the fearsome creature that dwelled within his very soul._  

 **_‘I can’t always protect you, you know. It puts strain on your body.’_ **  

 _‘_ _B_ _ut how? How can I learn how to fight?’_  

 _He was once anew in the orphanage, after Thanatos had been forced to kill the creepy old people who had adopted him. Minato hadn’t cared, really. He didn’t get to be with them more than two days. Thanatos said it was a good thing._  

 _Currently, the world was green._  

 **_‘I’ll teach you. You need to learn how to defend yourself against humans, as well. You know what they can do.’_ **  

 _The boy wasn’t sure, but he nodded nonetheless._  

* * *

Aigis, the Anti-Shadow Weapon conceived by the Kirijo Group to suppress the entity known as – ERROR 404: MISSING DATA – and keep the world free of the menace identified as Shadows, was not having a day qualifiable as good.  

The previous day, she had been abruptly woken up by her sensors going haywire – _DangerDangerDangerMenaceDangerDangerDanger_ _–_ And so, she set herself after her target.  

For a non-understandable reason, the scientists that were meant to repair her and restock her ammunition would have been describable as unhappy/confused/surprised, and her mechanized brain could not comprehend why.  

And then she went to the beach to attempt to locate her target, only for it to come to her by itself. 

And when she saw it, she suddenly had a feeling of fear/terror/stupor/surprise that she could not understand either. 

Locate the target. Annihilate the target. Get a new target. 

That is what she and – ERROR 404: MISSING DATA – had always done, and that is what they would always do.  

And yet, against her artificial will, she suddenly found herself running away to the depths of the forest.  

She could feel it walking slowly after her, in a fashion that her inner dictionary described as ‘A predator following its prey’. She did not know how to describe the feeling that surged through her papillon heart, but it was interpreted as unpleasant. 

The closer he got, the more that feeling grew until it became overwhelming. And the moment it did, her target appeared. 

It wasn’t his physical appearance that scared her – Her system provided her with an analysis of it, although it was unable to give his age, for some reason – but rather the warnings that every single piece of her, even the irrational ones, gave. She knew he was her target, yet she was ignorant as of why. So she did what anyone would’ve done on front of danger. 

She raised her finger-guns, and pointed them straight towards his head. 

* * *

A chuckle left his lips when he saw the android’s reaction, although it was not entirely from himself. 

To think the one to blame for everything would be cornered so easily, just by walking. 

“So you haven’t changed, bucket of bolts. Tell us, what have you been doing for the past ten years?” He asked, a low rumble edging in the back of his voice due to Thanatos. 

“I have been specifically ordered to refuse all forms of communication with targets. Stay back, or I will engage combat!” 

“... How I wish we could just put you back to pieces. But no, you deserve worse...” 

“Stay back!” She - It - shouted as he took a step closer.“... And since you seem to be pretty aggressive, I guess we’ll just have to tear our your heart.” He added, raising a hand. 

Aigis suddenly began feeling even more _wrong_. Something was tugging at her heart, but instead of it being a feeling, it was _physical._ And it hurt, oh how it hurt. She didn’t think she ever felt that much pain, and yet she couldn’t cry or shout, because suddenly she felt like she was separated from her mechanical body. 

Minato, on the other side, could feel a grin showing up on his face. Thanatos was slowly, delicately pulling the Plume of Dusk from its heart, enjoying every single second that he spent breaking the android’s soul. 

He and Pharos would have to find a way to return the plume to Her, later on, but for now he focused on taking it back. He and Thanatos took their time – He didn’t want to risk shattering the plume, after all, and seeing the one that ruined his life in such a pitiful state was rejoicing for all three of them. Thanatos’ laughter echoed through his lips, a gruesome sound that would give any sane creature shivers. 

And yet the process of extracting the plume was interrupted when they heard a few voices getting nearer. He sincerely hoped none of them heard his Persona’s laughter. He immediately stopped his attempt at getting the Plume out, Thanatos returning to his usual place within his heart. 

And yet in his concern of getting seen, he rushed his returning of the plume, and it _shattered_ in his hands. Three quarters of it returned straight to the android. 

Yet not one quarter remained in his hand, but five. 

The android had been powered by _two_ plumes. 

Minato was slightly angry about having snapped one of the plumes in two, but it was quelled by Thanatos, who reminded him that other humans were coming and that he had to hide the plumes. 

Considering said items were not quite exactly physical things, even though they could be held, he had Thanatos temporarily absorb them. They could be restored later, after all. 

The android was now sitting on the ground, eyes empty and gaze blank. It looked unconscious, although Minato knew that if he were to step closer, its look would surely snap towards him. It did have three quarters of a plume left, after all. It wouldn’t _kill_ it. 

Not that robots could be killed. 

“Hey! What happened here?!” Junpei’s voice was loud and cleared as the capped boy ran in, followed closely by Akihiko. 

“Dunno.” Minato responded blankly, all traces of Thanatos’ gruffness gone from his tone. “She was like that when I got here.” 

“There you guys are!” Another voice cut in, this time that of Yukari. “What are you doing here?! We’ve been looking all over for you!” 

“Um... What are you doing in the middle of the woods, in your swimsuits...?” Fuuka wondered, following Yukari.  

“You have no idea what we’ve-” Yukari began. “Huh...?” She trailed off, as she noticed the ‘unconscious’ Aigis. “What happened here?!” 

“Found her like this.” Minato simply stated, not looking like he would add anything else. 

“Listen, we’ve encountered a problem.” Mitsuru said, walking in the clearing at last. “I’m sorry to interrupt whatever is happening, but I need you all to go back to the house and prepare for battle. I will call the authorities to take care of th-” 

“That won’t be necessary.” Another voice cut in, the very recognizable obnoxiousness of Shuuji Ikutsuki. “We’ve found what we were looking for.” He also walked in the clearing. 

“What do you mean?” Yukari wondered. 

“Well, I suppose I had a good reason to be worried.” He scratched the back of his head. “She didn’t have permission to leave the lab on her own.” He said, as he walked towards the collapsed girl. “We’ll take her back there, don’t worry. Could you wait at the house? I will explain everything in due time.” 

As SEES left, Ikutsuki didn’t miss the blue-haired boy’s obvious hatred-filled gaze towards the missing android. 

* * *

“I apologize for all the trouble. Everything is under control now.” He began, a few hours later, after SEES has gathered again. 

“So, what happened to capturing the tank?” Fuuka wondered. Apparently, the girls had been called about a missing Anti-Shadow weapon. 

Which they had interpreted as a tank. 

Thanatos had snickered, thinking about it. Then he thought about the Chariot shard of Death, and snickered less thinking about what was coming up soon. 

“Oh, that’s been taken care of.” The suspicious man answered. “Come here, Aigis!” 

Minato had to hold back a flinch when he saw her come back. Her eyes were still blank, though, leading him to believe that perhaps he was safe from being called out. 

She carefully avoided looking at him. 

“This is Aigis.” Ikutsuki said. “As you can see, she is a ‘Mechanical maiden.’” 

“I am Aigis.” She spoke, her voice more robotic, her words separated awkwardly. “My mission is to destroy Shadows. I have been assigned to SEES, effective immediately.” 

“No way... A living robot?” Yukari was breathless.  

“This is unbelievable...” Akihiko muttered. 

“She’s real cute, but she’s... A robot.” Junpei realized, confused. 

He and Akihiko almost looked distressed. 

“Anti-Shadow Weapons were created ten-years ago to combat uncontrollable Shadows.” Ikutsuki explained. “Aigis was the last one to be made... And she’s the only one that still remains today.” 

“An Anti-Shadow Weapon...” Mitsuru pondered. “Does that mean she...?” 

“Yes. I am capable of operating the Persona “Palladion”.” The Android responded. 

“She suffered major damage in combat and has remained in the lab ever since.” The chairman elaborated. “It’s still unclear as to why she suddenly reactivated herself this morning.” His eyes trailed to Minato, yet quickly moved in a way to try and remain discrete. 

Which failed, obviously, because Thanatos was a thing. 

“In any case, I hope you will all get along.” He finally finished. 

Fuuka immediately ran towards the android, her curiosity at its peak. 

“An Anti-Shadow Weapon with a will of her own... This is incredible!” She seemed genuinely impressed. 

“Um, by the way... What happened to you, earlier?” Yukari asked the living weapon. 

Immediately, her dead eyes widened, and a fearful tone joined her inexpressive voice. 

“I... I...” She stuttered, sounding more human than ever, if only for an instant. 

“Hmm... Something must’ve gone wrong with her system, as she awoke for the first time in ten years. We will need to check her up in the labs. Perhaps she was still half a sleep? This is quite interesting...” Ikutsuki said, thinking out loud. “Well, I can ponder this later. Oh, I forgot to tell you all... You can participate in a wide range of recreational activities here. There’s a tennis court, a pool table, even a karaoke machine! Would you care to hear me sing?” 

Most of them visibly flinched. 

* * *

 _22nd of July, 2009 - Daytime_  

The next day, Minato refused to follow the rest of the group to the beach, pretending that this much sunlight was giving him a headache. 

It wasn’t entirely wrong, but it was still not the reason he preferred to remain indoors. 

As soon as he was sure that all of them were gone, _including Aigis,_ he asked Thanatos to return him the Plumes of Dusk so that he could figure out what to do with them. 

He wouldn’t dare keep them. It was _Hers_ , and it would be returned to Her, one way or another. He knew how dearly Pharos – And less directly, Thanatos – loved Her. _She_ was his ‘mother’ after all. While Minato only had the maternal feeling and no deep familial love like his best friend, he still wanted to give her back the Plume of Dusk. He’d gather them all to give them back if he could, but they were _everywhere –_ Even in his team’s evokers. And that, he couldn’t steal, or he’d leave them all vulnerable and then he’d have no one helping him gather Pharos’ shards. 

Then he’d wait till his friend was back together, then the both of them would go after the Plumes. 

‘ _Thanatos. Could you keep the full Plume for now? Give it to Pharos next time we see him, alright? I’ll keep the shard. It’s not_ _use_ _giving it to him if it’s incomplete.’_  

 **_‘Alright. Be careful with that thing. They’re volatile, you know.’_ **  

 _‘I will. Thank you, Thanatos.’_  

* * *

 _24_ _th_ _of July, 2009 – Morning_  

Finally back to a proper room, with a proper weapon stash, was what Minato and Thanatos thought after a good night’s sleep in a bed the blue-haired boy was actually used to instead of those overly expensive ones in the Kirijo Manor. 

He was used to orphanage beds, after all. 

After making sure that the stupid bucket of bolts that had joined them recently hadn’t actually touched his precious weapon stash – And counting every single one, making sure there wasn’t a dent or anything in them, with help from Thanatos, he finally took off for another usual day.  

He and Thanatos had simply forgotten to check if another camera had been placed in his room. 

* * *

 _Evening_  

So when he came back to the dorm that day to find Mitsuru, Akihiko and the Chairman waiting for him, he knew something was wrong. 

Especially since Aigis wasn’t too far. 

“Arisato. I believe you have something to explain to us?” 

Said boy raised an eyebrow, confused as to what the Kirijo heiress could want to talk to him about. 

“What is it?” He said, almost impatiently.  

That’s when he noticed the box containing some of his most precious items on the floor, right next to the three. The expression on his face would’ve been laughable, hadn’t it been about a weapon stash. 

“... Oh.” 

“It happens that we have found... This. In your room. Would you care to explain?” The red-haired girl asked. 

“... I blame Thanatos.” 

* * *

He had had to argue tooth and nail to keep his stash, and they only let him keep a few of the pointy things. To say he was angry was wrong, because most of the hostility was, in fact, from his Persona. Sure, Minato was pissed off, but he just thought that he only had himself to blame for not noticing the new camera. 

Thanatos just wanted the weapons back. Mitsuru’s point had been that he didn’t even use them, and that some of them would even have been useful in Tartarus, but Minato said that he simply wanted to keep the more dangerous ones for more dangerous times. 

He honestly doubted any lower Shadow could kill him, and in his reasoning omitted to think about his teammates, earning him a stern glare that he simply fought back with an apathetic one. 

Oh well. As soon as he had walked back into his room, the camera had been destroyed, and the box with the weapons he kept had been hidden somewhere else.  

He’d just have to find a way to sneak into the command room and take the weapons back. He supposed the Dark Hour, Pharos and Thanatos would be really helpful. 

* * *

 _29_ _th_ _of July, 2009 – Dark Hour_  

 _“Sorry to wake you up!”_ Minato suddenly heard, waking him up abruptly. Usually, when someone woke him up in the Dark Hour, it was Pharos, who was much softer. “ _I detect a Shadow! Please hurry to the 4_ _th_ _floor!”_  

 **_‘Argh, who the hell talks so loud at an hour like that?!’_ **  

 _‘Apparently,_ _Fuuka_ _does...’_ Minato deadpanned. ‘ _Guess we don’t have a choice.’_ He added, dressing up and heading to the command room. 

* * *

“What’s going on?!” Junpei almost shouted as he arrived, later than the other three that were Aigis, Yukari and Minato. 

“There’s a Shadow in the city.” Mitsuru began to explain. “Yamagishi found it by chance.” 

Fuuka had summoned her Persona, hands held together in prayer as she scoured through the streets. 

“But... The moon isn’t full yet.” Yukari said. 

 _"Actually, it seems to be just a normal Shadow.”_ The green-haired girl answered. _“However, it IS outside of Tartarus...”_  

 ** _‘And you woke us up for THAT?! If it’s just a normal Shadow,_** ** _one person_** ** _could’ve been enough!’_** Thanatos almost shouted from within Minato’s head, and the girl visibly flinched, not responding the bitter Persona. 

“It’s near Naganaki shrine.” Mitsuru elaborated, ignorant of Thanatos’ mental rants. “Akihiko went ahead since he was in the vicinity. I’m sure he can handle it alone, but let’s get ready just in case.” 

“Gotcha!” Junpei responded cheerfully. 

‘ _Really? All of us for a single Shadow? Isn’t it supposed to be the bucket of bolt’s job, to take care of strays?’_  

 **_‘I suppose they’re just too dumb to remember that.’_ **  

 _‘Thanatos. Remember that_ _Fuuka_ _can hear you.’_  

 ** _‘Oh, woops.’_** The Persona answered upon seeing the girl’s questioning gaze. 

 _“Akihiko, are you there?”_ Fuuka called. 

 _“I’m here. Sorry, but I think you guys better come, right away.”_  

“What’s wrong?!” Mitsuru questioned. “Is it a powerful one?!” 

 _‘It can’t be one of Pharos’ shards yet, can it? We’re a week away from the full moon...’_  

 **_‘Nah. I’d feel it as well. Now let’s hurry up, so I can go back to sleep!’_ **  

 _“No, the Shadow’s been defeated.”_ Akihiko answered. _“In fact, it was already defeated when I got here.”_  

“Is that so? What happened?” The Kirijo heiress asked, curious. 

 _“The little fella’s been_ _injured_ _... I_ _wanna_ _save him if we can.”_ Was all the silver-haired boy answered.    
“’Little Fella?’” Yukari asked. “Who’s he talking about?” 

“Beats me.” Junpei responded. 

“At any rate, let’s go.” Mitsuru decided. 

* * *

The scene to which the group arrived was not pretty, and Minato suddenly found himself glad that Fuuka’s Persona had faded, because Thanatos’ grumbling would’ve been ridiculous to hear. 

 **_‘-Could let something like that happen?! I swear if I find the Shadow responsible for this, I’ll-’_ **  

 _‘Thanatos...’_ Minato told his Persona. ‘ _You’re rambling.’_  

 **_‘BUT THEY LET A DOG GET HURT!’_ **  

He supposed it was true. The dog, the same they had seen on front of the dorm the other day, was lying on the floor, wounded and yet still breathing. A small pool of its blood had formed under him, yet the wounds seemed sealed shut. Probably thanks to Akihiko. 

“Koro-chan!” Fuuka shrieked upon seeing the wounded canine. “Are you okay, Koro-chan?!” 

“You know this dog?” Mitsuru asked. 

“Yeah, everyone around here does.” Yukari was the one to answer. “We have to help him!” 

“First, we must stop the bleeding.” The red-haired girl stated, giving instructions. 

“Man... He’s one tough fighter.” Akihiko noticed. “He defeated that Shadow all by himself.” 

“Wait, does that mean... This dog’s a Persona-user?!” Junpei was utterly flabbergasted. 

“He says: This is a place of peace, so I protected it.” Aigis – Minato wished he could’ve forgotten it was there – suddenly spoke. 

 **_‘Hey! You’re not the only one who can speak dog here!’_ **  

 _‘They can’t hear you, Thanatos. And I don’t really feel like explaining to them that my Persona can speak dog.’_  

 **_‘But they-’_ **  

 _‘No.’_  

Thanatos began grumbling again, rambling about how selfish Minato was being and how dogs were the most wonderful creatures on Earth, though not quite in these words. 

“Those flowers...” Fuuka began to say, looking at a few bouquets laying against the wall. One of them had obviously been messed up by the Shadow’s attacks. “They must be for the priest who died in the accident...” 

“So, Koro-chan really was guarding this place...” Yukari realized. 

“Uh, Aigis?” Junpei was the first to speak to the android. “Don’t tell me you can translate dog language too...” 

“Canines do not have their own language. However, speech is not the only means of communication.” 

 **_‘_ ** **_Yeah, no joke. Thanks, obviousness-machine!’_ **  

 _‘... Are you sure you’re alright, Thanatos? I mean, I’m not happy about it being here either, but...’_  

“This fella really is a rare breed.” Akihiko said, after a bit of silence. 

“Confirmed.” Aigis responded. 

“... He’s not the only one...” Junpei remarked. 

“Alright, let’s report to the Chairman so we can conclude this mission.” Mitsuru finally commanded. “As for a vet... It may be midnight, but I believe I can arrange for one.” 

“Good job, boy. You’re one amazing dog...” Yukari said, petting him. 

* * *

 _30_ _th_ _of July, 2009 – Dark Hour_  

“Good evening.” 

 _‘_ **_See? Far much better when it’s Pharos. That_ ** **_Fuuka_ ** **_girl should really learn to be gentler when she wakes someone up.’_ **  

“I wasn’t even asleep, Thanatos...” 

 **_‘... I know. We’re only one week from the Full Moon, so I_ ** **_getcha_ ** **_.’_ **  

Minato stood up and went to sit next to his best friend, Pharos. 

“It’s becoming quite lively around you.” The small boy stated. “So, how are you getting along with the others?” 

“... They took most of my weapons away.” Was all Minato answered. The boy already knew everything there was to say, anyway. 

In response, the blue-eyed child laughed, looking at his friend. 

A few quiet moments later, he started speaking again. 

“... It is one week until the next Full Moon. Are you prepared...? To be honest, I’m not too worried about you... However, you should still remain cautious.” 

Minato smiled and pet his friend’s head.  

“I’ll be fine, Pharos. I promise. We’ll put you back together. Now...” 

As he spoke his part, Thanatos appeared in his room, holding in his hand a glowing, light blue shard. 

“A Plume of Dusk.” Pharos spoke slowly. “Can I...?” 

Minato nodded, and the small boy took the plume in his hand.  

“I’ll keep it for now. Thank you, Minato.” He smiled, touched that the two had settled on giving it to him, even though he had heard their conversation. 

“I know how much Nyx matters to you. They’re Hers, so I think it’s better if you have it. Also...” 

“It was the one powering the machine that sealed me, so it’s even better.” Pharos finished. 

“Yeah. A small revenge, but a good one, right?” Minato said. 

The two laughed together as Thanatos faded back to the depths of the blue-haired boy’s heart. 

A few minutes later, they changed the topic. 

“So, you said you wanted to get your weapons back, right?” Pharos asked with a wide grin. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Koromaru ! Best ! Good ! Boy ! 
> 
>  
> 
> Also, Thanatos is a goof.


	8. Moonlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanatos takes some time to practice, in his own way.  
> Moonlight ever his guide.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS THE SECOND CHAPTER POSTED TODAY. IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THIS SINCE A FEW WEEKS AGO, READ CHAPTER 7 FIRST.

**Chapter** **8:** **Moonlight**

_He_ _wasn’t_ _sure_ _exactly_ _when_ _it_ _began_ _._

_The first time, he was around eleven. Four years after his parents’ death, and he first felt that tug from the depths of his heart when he looked at the Moon._

_For several hours, he was curious, and from his room he looked at it. Then the weird-hour-when-everything-is-green happened, and his best friend joined him._

_“Do you like when the Moon is full, too?” Pharos had asked._

_“Why do you ask me that?” Had been his response, quietly._

_“Because when I look at the Moon, I feel like my mother is looking after me.”_

_Minato looked surprised after his friend told him that._

_“Your mother...?”_

_“Her name is Nyx. She lives in the Moon.”_

* * *

_5_ _ th _ _of August, 2009 – Dark Hour_

_“We’ll stay out of Tartarus this week, so we can get rested and ready for the next Full Moon.”_

That had been what Akihiko decided for SEES in the week from July 30 to August 6, day of the Full Moon. And so, Minato had grown restless, very much so. He would blame Thanatos, but he knew it was his close bond with Death – And the fact that said entity was sealed within him – that caused it. 

He’d never blame Pharos, though. His best friend was too nice to be blamed for anything at all. Except maybe sometimes being a slight pervert.

Yet in the meantime, Minato hadn’t slept in four days, and he was not anywhere near tired. He was glad the camera was once again gone from his room and not yet replaced, because then they’d have noticed he hadn’t slept. 

He couldn’t wait for the next day – According to Pharos and Thanatos, not one, but two arcana Shadows would show up. Justice and Chariot, he guessed. He hoped it’d be nothing too bad, 

* * *

_6_ _ th _ _of August, 2009 – Dark Hour_

**_‘Dammit_** ** _dammit_** **_dammit_** **_dammit_** ** _DAMN. IT.’_**

Sure thing, Minato had hoped that it was nothing too bad. He had hoped.

Well, hoped for nothing.

First, the group had to go down endless stairs nearly made him fall asleep.

Then, they ended up locked in a giant room by two psychos with looks from another time.

And then, the Arcana Shadow appeared in all its Full Moon glory. 

And then the poisonous gas. Half the group collapsed.

And then Minato collapsed and Thanatos found himself having to take over his master’s body so that he wouldn’t die. 

The worst part? He had to fight side by side with the BUCKET OF BOLTS because all the rest was unable to. Only the scanner-girl was safe, and she wasn’t no fighter.

The moment Thanatos opened his master’s now electric blue eye _s_ , he knew what he had to do.

Bring down the Shadows. Kick the door open. Run the fuck out.

Sword in hand, he stood up as if unaffected by the gas. His master was out like a light, and so it was freedom time. Although stuck in a human body without his favourite sword, he could still wreak havoc. If the situation hadn’t been so critical, PERHAPS he could’ve cared about not being noticed, because so far no one had known he could take over besides Pharos and Minato himself.

But now? Oh no, no one cared about being secretive. Now was wreck-it-up time.

And he was gonna mess those Shadows’ faces _alright_.

Pulling the annoying hair from his face back, he decided to sneak behind the two. As soon as he was close enough, he jumped, one foot on the tank, and went straight for the small one on top. Instead of going for the head, though, he went and cut clean through one of the wings of the Shadow, clipping it.

The creature shrieked, and only then the two, as well as the bucket of bolts and scanner-girl, noticed that ‘Minato’ was up and moving and effectively hitting things, unlike the robot who _somehow missed every single shot even though her fingers were machine guns._

Thanatos didn’t even try to understand. He had other things to care about.

 _“Minato! You’re alright?!_ ” Scanner-girl had asked, surprised.

The blue-haired teen ignored her, instead focusing on getting away from the Shadows’ retaliation.

Landing perfectly on the ground after hopping from the Tank-shadow, Thanatos realized that the bucket of bolts had once again began shooting, although faster and more accurately than before. He could feel the heat radiating her body from where he was.

It reminded him of ten years ago, although it wasn’t even his own memories.

“ _Aigis, Minato, you need to work together to defeat this one!”_

At that, Thanatos _cackled._

“As if I’d ever work side by side with that _thing_!” He said, before heading straight back towards the Shadow, a rather mad grin on his lips, bright blue eyes fixated on the closest weak point he could reach.

Every single strike was made with deadly accuracy, while making sure he wasn’t getting in the way of the android’s shots. He much preferred his master’s body when it wasn’t punctuated with bullet holes, thank you very much.

Soon enough, the two Shadows were separated and the Justice arcana Shadow couldn’t fly anymore thanks to careful cuts ravaging its wings.

While the bucket of bolts handled the tank that was the Chariot, Thanatos went straight for the weakened one. 

And when the Shadow attempted to fight back by shooting multiple times in a few seconds, the not-so-sane Persona went and _parried every shot_.

His sword was holding surprisingly well, for a man-made one, and he took a moment to be thankful for the care Minato had given the weapons.

A few seconds later, though, his battle focus was broken by scanner-girl once again worrying.

 _“Minato, is everything alright?”_ She shouted, and that was enough for Thanatos to take a bullet through the forearm. 

“Holy f **ucking shit who talks like that in the middle of a goddamn fight?!** ” The Persona cursed, his voice so different from Minato’s and vocabulary so much more eloquent that Fuuka almost leapt in place.

_“T-That voice! Y-you're... Thanatos!”_

**“No fucking joke! Now instead of chatting, shut up or help that stupid robot over there!”** He spat, clutching at his wounded arm, barely holding onto his sword.

A few moments later, he went and rushed for the Shadow again, bringing it down and letting it fade into the poisonous air.

“ **Well wasn’t that a piece of shit...** ” He cursed, and then turned his eyes towards the other Shadow.

The bucket of bolts didn’t look like it was doing too good. It was obviously near overheat, the devices where a human’s ears would be spinning at very high speed to attempt to cool it off.

Thanatos spent a brief moment thinking whether he should help her or go open the door to free them from the gas. If nothing was done about it, the poison would soon kill them all, while the Shadow was currently held back by the stupid robot.

A decision was quickly made, and Thanatos rushed for the door.

He knew he wasn’t in his normal body – That one could only be summoned by Minato and, to some extent, Pharos – but he also knew he had way enough strength to kick the door off its hinges with a bit of momentum.

So he ran for it, and as soon as he got close enough to the metal gates, raised his foot and kicked. The right door went flying a few meters away, torn metal and worn concrete hissing with the strength.

Woops. He had put a bit too much in the kick.

Quickly, the poisonous gas diluted in the ‘fresh’ air, cleaning it and allowing the members of SEES to breathe in without causing a slow death.

Fuuka gasped as she witnessed him destroy the door, not believing the strength that went into it. She grew even more fearful of the Persona, which was already not too reassuring to listen to during the Tartarus expeditions.

Yet as Thanatos took time to make sure the wound on his arm wasn’t too bad and wouldn’t lead to his master bleeding to death, on the other side of the room, Aigis collapsed.

“I... Can’t... Go on... Any longer...” She – it - struggled to even pronounce the words, collapsing to the ground. She looked as though she was still conscious, but her body refused to respond.

“ **Well, there she goes.** ” Thanatos simply shrugged, watching as electricity fizzled now and then.

 _“Aigis?! What’s wrong?!”_ Fuuka called, voice full of worry.

“Overheat... Orgia mode...” It muttered in response.

“ **Oh well. Guess I’ll have to take care of the Shadow.** ” Thanatos simply stated, drawing his sword with his good arm and walking towards the Chariot arcana Shadow. It was also doing badly – Perhaps the bucket of bolt had done at least one thing right – and looked like it couldn’t move anymore. “ **Eh, I’ll make this quick.** ” In a matter of seconds, the tank was dealt with. As it faded into nothingness, the colours of the world changed from the Dark Hour’s deep green to more usual colours. “ **Well, nice timing. I guess I’ll have to wait for someone with the emergency stuff for that arm. So, need someone to keep** **ya** **company while you wait for these merry people to wake up, or can I conk out right there?** ”

Fuuka had no idea how to respond.

* * *

When Mitsuru woke up, it took her a moment to remember where she was and what had happened. Then she saw the rest of the team on the floor, Fuuka fretting over Minato’s – Who was, surprisingly, awake, unlike the rest of the team – arm, which seemed to be, or rather to have been bleeding profusely.

And then she realized that it was the first time she saw the right side of Minato’s face. 

And she nearly jumped when she heard his voice.

“ **Oh, hey. The** **Kirijo** **girl is awake.** ”

It was clearly not Minato’s voice. This one was deep and gruff, and so she took a wild guess.

“Could you be... Thanatos?”

“ **Oh, hey! Someone got it right!** ” The Persona in a human body seemed almost cheerful.

“How...? What even happened here?”

“ **In short? Poisonous gas, all of you collapsed, so did Minato, I took over and wrecked those Shadows. In less short? Your robot-buddy's probably breaking down as we speak and I messed Minato’s right arm** **real** **bad. Oh, and I hope this door didn’t matter whatsoever, because it’s busted now.** ” He added, pointing to the door... Or what was left of it, considering the right door was on the floor, meters away from where it should’ve been standing.

As Mitsuru listened to the Persona’s rant, she realized it was the first time she ever saw the right side of Minato’s face. She knew his current eye colour wasn’t usual real one – She would’ve noticed that kind of blue right away. She could see, as she stood up, faint traces of old scars near his right eye. Perhaps that was the reason it was usually carefully hidden under a mop of hair.

“So the Shadows have been defeated...?”

“ **Yeah. You can thank me later for that one.** ” Somehow, that answer seemed punctuated with sarcasm. “ **Well, now that someone’s awake...** **Imma** **pass out right there. See** **ya** **!** ” He added almost cheerfully before falling asleep right there, his arm still covered in blood.

“What was that all about...?” Mitsuru heard someone mutter on the other side. Apparently, Junpei had heard the same things she did.

* * *

Minato wished he would’ve woken up in his room. Or even where he had collapsed. 

But no.

He woke up to the sound of a song he had only heard a few times before. A song that echoed through the very being of people.

An aria of the soul.

When he blinked his eyes open, all he could see was a rich, royal blue. In but a moment, he knew exactly where he was.

A place in which he hadn’t been in a long, long time. 

“It is nice to see you again.”

The high-pitched, crooked voice hadn’t changed one bit in those years, nor had the nasal, flat-toned one that belonged to Igor’s assistant. 

“What am I doing here?” Minato questioned, not wasting a single word.

“You are here, dear guest, because we believe the time has come for you to make use of your gifts.”

Immediately, the blue-haired teen shook his head.

“You know I can’t do that.”

“Will you not, at least, witness the power that could be at your disposal?”

He pondered for a moment, and spoke again.

“Show me what I currently have. Nothing more.”

At that, Elizabeth, the velvet room attendant and the assistant of the short man named Igor, handed him the book that she had held preciously in her hands for all these years.

“These are the Personas you can currently use.” She explained, showing him a few Tarot cards held within the book.

The first two he saw, he recognized immediately, for they were the only two he had ever accepted to use – Although one of them was only used once.

Orpheus and Thanatos. The two closest to being accurate representations of his Soul.

The rest was, in blunt honesty, weak – Pixie, Apsaras, Nekomata, Personas that he stumbled upon by chance before he had realized that the power of the Wild Card was one that he should not make use of.

Thanatos was enough.

“I don’t see why I’d use more power. Thanatos is enough.”

At that, Igor shook his head. 

“I’m afraid that only danger will come to you with such a reasoning.”

“He’s never let me down. I don’t need any other Persona.”

The two inhabitants of the Velvet Room’s gazes were fixated upon him.

“If so you believe, then I will let you go. But know this... Should you finally decide to accept this power, we will be waiting for you.” Igor finally said.

Minato didn’t even bother answering.

* * *

Ikutsuki had been waiting in the dorm’s command room since SEES had left to hunt the Full Moon Shadows, when he finally received a call from Mitsuru. The Dark Hour had been over for about half an hour already, after all.

“ _This is Mitsuru. We have neutralized the targets.”_

 _“_ Good work. You may return.”

“ _Wait! There’s more. Our mission was interrupted by an uninvited guest. He’s most likely a Persona-user.”_

 _“_ A Persona-user?!” Ikutsuki sounded surprised. 

“ _... And he wasn’t alone. It would seem that the only reason we survived was due to_ _Arisato_ _'s_ _Persona’s sentience.”_

 _“_ Hmm... Did the other Persona-user say anything that might give us a clue?”

“ _Come to think of it... I believe he said he is part of an organization called Strega.”_

“Strega...?” Ikutsuki wondered. “Tell me everything when you get back. And please, do bring Arisato with you.”

“ _... That might be a little bit more complicated.”_

* * *

“So he’s out cold, huh?” Junpei noticed. “Funny, I don’t think I’ve ever seen his entire face before.”

“Yeah... He always has his hair hiding half of it.” Yukari agreed.

“So... Who’s carryin’ him back to the dorm? He doesn’t look like he’ll be waking up anytime soon.”

“You said his Persona took control of his body, right? Couldn’t we just ask it to do it again to walk back to the dorm?” Yukari wondered.

“Um... I remember it saying it wanted to sleep...” Fuuka interrupted her train of thoughts.

“Sleeping? Personas need to sleep?” Junpei looked surprised.

“I think it’s just his, honestly.” The local archer answered in Fuuka’s stake.

“In any case, we do need someone to carry him...” Mitsuru intervened, her gaze trailing towards Akihiko.

“... Fine, I’ll do it.”

“We’ll also need to properly clean up the wound on his arm once we get back. We bandaged it, but it was only to halt the bleeding.” The Kirijo Heiress added.

Junpei and Yukari suddenly looked very green.

Aigis remained silent, watching silently as her as the priority target that her system could not differentiate between protecting and eliminating anymore was taken back to the place called ‘Home’.

* * *

_7_ _ th _ _of August, 2009 – Morning_

It took quite a few blinks to get his eyes to open properly without his eyelids sticking together, but he finally managed to wake up properly.

He yawned quietly and stretched, before realizing that his right forearm was bandaged.

‘ _... Thanatos, are you there?’_

**_‘Always.’_ **

_‘What happened?’_

**_‘Not much. Took over and killed the Shadows after you collapsed. Today’s the 7th.’_ **

_‘The 7th? I’ve slept for quite a while... How’s Pharos?’_

**_‘He’s fine. Remembering more stuff.’_ **

_‘I’m glad to hear so... We’re almost there, right?’_

**_‘Just four shards left.’_ **

_‘That’s good... We’re almost there, Pharos. Just wait a little bit. Now... Would you care to explain why is my arm wounded?’_

**_‘Hey! It’s that scanner girl’s fault!’_ **

* * *

Considering it was Friday and that it was morning, Minato thought he could just sneak in the kitchen to grab something to eat and some water, because an entire day and a half spent sleeping left his throat quite dry.

Unfortunately, it seemed he had been awaited.

“Of all people that could’ve waited, it’s the Kirijo heiress that takes two days off of school to wait for me to wake up?” He noticed, an eyebrow raised.

He was glad he had taken the time to dress up. He wished he had remembered to tame his hair the usual way, though, because his right eye was currently in plain sight.

“It’s not every day that you learn that one of the people in your team can leave his body’s control up to his _Persona_.”

“Would you have believed me if I told you?”

“I would in any case have preferred to be warned that your Persona was entirely _sentient_. Especially if it can use your body without telling you, as you seemed to be entirely unconscious.”

“It’s all about survival.” Minato simply answered. “If he needs to take over for me to survive, then he will. That’s about it.”

“It would be better for our entire team if you informed me of your Persona’s powers, Arisato. It may have saved us this time around, but what if it was to go berserk?”

At that, Minato almost choked from laughter.

“Thanatos? Going berserk? The most he’d do is slaughter Shadows.” 

He carefully kept to himself that if _he_ himself was to go on a rampage, Thanatos would follow thoughtlessly.

“We have no way to be sure, Arisato. And I would very much like if no one in SEES was endangered by _your_ lack of communication.”

At that, Minato froze. He then turned back and returned towards the stairs he had come from.

“Believe me, Kirijo- _senpai,_ no one would get endangered by my lack of communication. If anything...” He turned back, his silver left eye and electric blue right eye settling on her. “It’s the opposite that would put them in danger.”

* * *

_Dark Hour_

“Good evening.” 

Minato had been busy sharpening some of the weapons he had recovered from the dorm’s Command room, some of which had been unacceptably dented.

“Hey, Pharos. How are you?”

“I’m good. You know, I remembered something.”

“You did? Tell me. I’m listening, buddy.”

“The end... It won’t be brought about by a single person. It’s coming because there are many people who wish for it... As if it was destined from the start.”

“The end, huh? I’m not too concerned about that, honestly...” Minato answered. 

“Doesn’t it seem like a strange thing to wish for, though?”

“... Not really.”

“You think so?” The small boy questioned. “Well, I suppose some people would choose death over suffering... Otherwise, one might end up hating everything in this world...” There was a small pause. “Well, enough about that. I think you’ve changed, since we’ve come here.”

“Changed? What do you mean, Pharos?” Although it was not apparent, concern had overtaken Minato.

“You haven’t changed in bad. But you seem like you’re less scared of others.”

“I’ve never been scared of others, Pharos. You know what I’m scared of. I shouldn’t need to explain it to you, of all people.”

“You’re right. But it does seem like you’ve opened up a little.”

“...”

“I’ll leave you alone for now. But remember that no matter what happens and who you become, I’ll always see you as my best friend.” 

And so, the boy faded with a smile on his lips.

“... So I’ve opened up, you say, huh? That can’t mean anything good...” Minato said, bitterly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pharos and Minato's interactions are fun to write when they're not one-sided.
> 
> ALSO TWO IMPORTANT THINGS:  
> Smut poll is still going  
> AND  
> IF AO3 FORMATTING MESSES UP TEXT, PLEASE TELL ME IN A COMMENT SO I CAN FIX IT. I always check my writings again in AO3 but I prolly miss a lotsa stuff


End file.
